Actuated grips for controller

ABSTRACT

Implementations relate to actuated grips for a controller. In some implementations, a controller includes a central member, a grip member coupled to the central member and moveable in a grip degree of freedom, a shaft coupled to the grip member, and an actuator coupled to the shaft and operative to output an actuator force on the shaft. The actuator force causes a grip force to be applied via the shaft to the grip member in the grip degree of freedom.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/434,904, filed Dec. 15, 2016 and titled “ActuatedGrips for Controller,” the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Controller mechanisms allow a user to control various types ofmechanisms and instruments. Teleoperated surgical devices, for example,can use various types of medical instruments to perform minimallyinvasive surgical procedures that reduce damage to healthy tissue ofpatients. The medical instruments can be connected to slave devices suchas slave arms that can be manipulated to perform the surgicalprocedures. Control of the medical instruments at a slave device can beprovided to an operator at one or more master controllers, e.g., at aremote operator terminal or station. Actuators of the slave device canbe controlled by the master controller to cause motion of a medicalinstrument, camera, or other end effector at the slave device thatinteracts with the patient surgical site. In some examples, the mastercontroller at the operator station can be physically manipulated by theoperator in one or more degrees of freedom to control the end effectorto be moved in coordination with the manipulation of the controller,e.g., to move in corresponding degrees of freedom at the operating site.

For example, in some teleoperated systems, controllers can include oneor more grips that are pressed or rotated by the operator to control asimilar motion on an end effector. For example, pincher grips on amaster controller can provide a pinching motion that can control asimilar pinching motion of forceps, tweezers, scissors, or other endeffector instruments on a controlled slave device that can be used insurgery or other types of tasks. However, controlling the wide varietyof different types of instruments that can be used in various surgicaloperations and other tasks with a controller having a fixed mechanicalresponse to user manipulation can limit the effectiveness of utilizingsuch a variety of instruments in performed tasks.

SUMMARY

Implementations of the present application relate to actuated grips of acontroller. In some implementations, a controller includes a centralmember, a grip member coupled to the central member and moveable in agrip degree of freedom, a shaft coupled to the grip member, and anactuator coupled to the shaft and operative to output an actuator forceon the shaft. The actuator force causes a grip force to be applied viathe shaft to the grip member in the grip degree of freedom.

Various implementations and examples of the controller are described.For example, in some implementations, the grip degree of freedom is arotary degree of freedom, and the shaft is coupled to the grip membervia at least one rotary coupling such that the grip member is rotatablerelative to the shaft. In some examples, the shaft extends through atleast a portion of the central member. In some implementations, theactuator is a linear actuator and the actuator force is an active forceoutput to the shaft along a longitudinal axis of the shaft, where theshaft is decoupled in rotation from the actuator about the longitudinalaxis of the shaft. In some implementations, a transmission is coupledbetween the actuator and the shaft, where the actuator is a rotaryactuator and the actuator force is a rotational force, the transmissionincludes a mechanism configured to convert the rotational force to alinear force applied along a longitudinal axis of the shaft, and theshaft is decoupled in rotation from the actuator. For example, invarious implementations, the transmission includes a ballscrewmechanism; a crank and a linkage, where the crank is coupled to theactuator and the linkage is coupled between the crank and the shaft; ora capstan drum coupled to the actuator and a carriage coupled to theshaft, where the capstan drum is coupled to the carriage by a cable.Some implementations include a cam between the grip member and theshaft, where the shaft and the cam are rotated by the actuator to causethe grip forces to be applied to the grip member based on an angularposition of a portion of a surface of the cam.

In some examples, the grip member is a first grip member, the gripdegree of freedom is a first grip degree of freedom, the controllerincludes a second grip member coupled to the central member and to theshaft, and the second grip member is moveable in a second grip degree offreedom. In some implementations, the actuator forces cause a first gripforce to be applied via the shaft to the first grip member in the firstgrip degree of freedom and cause a second grip force to be applied viathe shaft to the second grip member in the second grip degree offreedom. In some implementations, the first and second grip members arecoupled to the shaft by one or more link members, where the one or morelink members are configured to cause the first and second grip membersto simultaneously move in the first and second grip degrees of freedom,respectively, in directions toward each other or away from each other.In some examples, the link members include a first link member having afirst rotary coupling between a first end of the first link member andthe shaft and having a second rotary coupling between a second end ofthe first link member and the first grip member, and a second linkmember having a first rotary coupling between a first end of the secondlink member and the shaft and having a second rotary coupling between asecond end of the second link member and the second grip member. In someimplementations, the first link member and the second link member eachrotate in a respective plane of two parallel planes, where the first endof the first link member is coupled to the shaft at a first location ofthe shaft that is spaced farther from the first grip member than asecond location of the shaft, and the first end of the second linkmember is coupled to the shaft at the second location of the shaft thatis spaced farther from the second grip member than the first location ofthe shaft.

In further examples, the controller includes a second grip membercoupled to the central member, where the second grip member is moveablein a second grip degree of freedom. In some implementations, a secondshaft is coupled to the second grip member, and a second actuator iscoupled to the second shaft, operative to output a second actuator forceto the second shaft, where the second actuator force causes a secondgrip force to be applied via the second shaft to the second grip memberin the second grip degree of freedom.

In some implementations, the controller further includes a springcoupled between one end of the shaft and the central member, where thespring is configured to compress in response to the grip member movingin a first direction in the grip degree of freedom and decompress inresponse to the grip member moving in a second direction in the gripdegree of freedom. In some implementations, the grip member includes anadditional grip degree of freedom that includes rotation of the gripmember and the shaft about a longitudinal axis of the shaft, and wherethe controller further includes a second actuator operative to output asecond actuator force to cause the rotation of the grip member and theshaft in the additional grip degree of freedom about the longitudinalaxis of the shaft, where the rotation in the additional grip degree offreedom is decoupled in rotation from the first actuator. In someexamples, the second actuator outputs the second actuator force on abelt that drives a pulley coupled to the shaft.

In some implementations, a method includes sensing, with one or moresensors, one or more positions of one or more grips of a controller inone or more respective degrees of freedom of the one or more grips,where the one or more positions are used to control movement of an endeffector of a slave device in communication with the controller. Themethod applies force to the one or more grips using one or moreactuators coupled to the controller, where the force is applied in therespective degrees of freedom of the one or more grips, and the force isapplied according to at least one force profile associated with a typeof the end effector controlled by the grips.

Various implementations and examples of the method are described. Insome examples, at least one of the respective degrees of freedom of theone or more grips is a rotary degree of freedom, and applying force tothe one or more grips includes controlling the one or more actuatorsthat are coupled to a shaft coupled to the one or more grips, where theone or more actuators are controlled to output an actuator force thatcauses a linear force to be applied to the shaft along a longitudinalaxis of the shaft. For example, in some implementations, the one or moregrips are two grips provided in a pincher configuration, where the twogrips move simultaneously toward each other or away from each other.

In some implementations, the force profile includes a plurality ofdifferent force output functions at different position ranges of the oneor more grips. For example, the force profile is selected from aplurality of force profiles associated with a plurality of types of endeffectors usable with the slave device. In some examples, the forceprofile includes a first linear force output function and a secondlinear force output function that has a different slope than the firstlinear force output function. In some examples, the one or more gripsare two grips, and the force profile includes a force output functionthat controls the force applied to at least one grip of the two grips tobias the at least one grip to a limited range of positions in the one ormore respective degrees of freedom, where the limited range of positionsis smaller than a full range of positions of the at least one grip. Insome examples, the force profile includes a force output function thatcontrols the force applied to two grips to bias the two grips to aclosed position of the two grips.

In some examples, the method further includes activating a controllingmode that enables controlling one or more actuators of the slave deviceto physically move at least a portion of the slave device incorrespondence with physical manipulation of the one or more grips by auser in the one or more respective degrees of freedom. In someimplementations, the method further includes moving the one or moregrips to respective positions in the one or more respective degrees offreedom to match a position of one or more controlled components of anend effector of the slave device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example implementation of ateleoperated surgical system which can be used with one or more featuresdisclosed herein, according to some implementations;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of an example master controlworkstation as shown in FIG. 1, according to some implementations;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example portion of a mastercontroller which can include one or more features described herein,according to some implementations;

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are different views of an example implementation of aportion of a controller including one or more features described herein,according to some implementations;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are side elevational cross-sectional views of thecontroller portion of FIG. 4, according to some implementations;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example arm assembly orportion thereof, which can be used for one or more of the arm assembliesof the manipulator slave device of FIG. 1, according to someimplementations;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of one example of an end effector which canbe used with the manipulator slave device of FIG. 1, according to someimplementations;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a graph of example outputforce profiles that can be used with one more features described herein,according to some implementations;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrammatic illustrations of graphs of exampleactuator force profiles, according to some implementations;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an example controller portion includinga crank arm transmission providing a linear force output from a rotaryactuator, according to some implementations;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an example controller portion includinga ballscrew transmission providing a linear force output from a rotaryactuator, according to some implementations;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are a views of an example controller portion and cammechanism to provide forces on controller grips, according to someimplementations;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an example controller portion includinga capstan mechanism to transmit force from an actuator, according tosome implementations;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are side elevational views of the controller portionof FIG. 15, according to some implementations;

FIGS. 17A and 17B are side elevational, cross-sectional views of thecontroller portion of FIG. 15, according to some implementations;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another example controller portionincluding a capstan mechanism to transmit force from an actuator,according to some implementations;

FIGS. 19A and 19B are side elevational views of the controller portionof FIG. 18, according to some implementations;

FIGS. 20A and 20B are side elevational, cross-sectional views of thecontroller portion of FIG. 18, according to some implementations;

FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example implementation of acontroller system including multiple independently-actuated grips,according to some implementations;

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method to provideforces on a controller, according to some implementations; and

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of an example master-slave system which canbe used for one or more implementations described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more implementations described herein relate to actuated grips ofa controller. In some implementations, a controller includes one or moregrip members, each moveable in a respective degree of freedom, a shaftcoupled to the one or more grip members, and an actuator coupled to theshaft and operative to output actuator forces on the shaft. The actuatorforces cause grip forces to be applied via the shaft to the grip membersin the respective degrees of freedom. For example, the degree of freedomof each grip member can be a rotary degree of freedom, and the shaft iscoupled to the grip member via at least one rotary coupling such thatthe grip member is rotatable relative to the shaft. The actuator forcescan be output to the shaft along a longitudinal axis of the shaft, andthe shaft is decoupled in rotation from the actuator about thelongitudinal axis of the shaft.

Various other features are also disclosed. For example, the actuator canbe a linear actuator outputting active linear forces, or can be a rotaryactuator outputting rotary forces. Rotary forces from a rotary actuatorcan be converted to linear forces through the use of a transmission,e.g., a ballscrew mechanism or a crank and linkage. Some implementationscan include two grip members that rotate in respective degrees offreedom, e.g., toward each other or away from each other in apincher-type of movement. In some examples, link members can couple thegrip members to the shaft, and in some implementations the link memberscan be attached to the shaft at rotational couplings located a furtherdistance from their respective linked grip member than the rotationalcoupling of the other link member. Some implementations can providemultiple grip members, where a grip member receives forces from anassociated actuator independently of the other grip members. A springcan be coupled between the shaft and a controller body, which canprovide resistive force to a closing motion of the grip members. In someexamples, the grip members and the shaft can together be rotated aboutthe lengthwise axis of the shaft, and forces can be applied in thisdegree of freedom by a second actuator, where the shaft is decoupled inrotation from the second actuator.

Described features also include sensing positions of one or more gripsof a controller in one or more respective degrees of freedom, where thepositions are used to control movement of an end effector of a slavedevice in communication with the controller, and applying force to theone or more grips in the grip degrees of freedom using one or moreactuators. The force can be applied according to at least one forceprofile associated with a type of the end effector controlled by thegrips. For example, a force profile can be selected from multiple forceprofiles associated with different types of end effectors usable withthe slave device. The force profiles can define different grip forcesfor different grip positions, such as different linearly-changing forcesat different grip positions. Some implementations can use the gripforces to constrain or hold one or more of the grips in a particularposition, such as a closed position of the grip members, and/or to matchthe positions of the grips to current positions of components of thecontrolled end effector.

Features described herein provide forces on one or more grips of acontroller and provide several advantages. For example, decoupling therotation of a transmission shaft from an actuator providing linearforces on the shaft allows the grips to be rotated about an axis ofrotation of the shaft without having to rotate the actuator. A springcan assist actuator forces on the grips, e.g., by resisting motion ofthe grip members in particular directions, allowing the active actuatorto be sized smaller. The grip forces can provide different assistiveforces on the controller grips for different types of end effectors of acontrolled slave device, such as different types of surgicalinstruments. This can provide more effective control over thesedifferent types of instruments. For example, forces can guide the userwith respect to particular grip positions that correspond to particularinstrument positions for particular types of end effector instruments(e.g., a grip position to close a held clip in a clip applier, a closedor static grip position for an instrument not using grip motion, etc.).Positions of the grips can be matched to a current position of aninstrument component of a controlled slave device, providing the userwith an intuitive sense of control over the instrument immediately aftercontacting the grips. Forces can be output on the grips as informationalassistance to the user, e.g., to indicate particular interactions of acontrolled slave device and/or events occurring in during the controlprocedure. For example, vibrations can be output directly on gripscontacted by a user's fingers using described features, rather than orin addition to outputting a vibration in other, lessdirectly-experienced degrees of freedom of the controller or vibratingthe entire master controller system.

Features thus allow a user to operate a controller more easily,accurately, and intuitively, thus providing more accurate results inprocedures performed using the controller. For example, medicalprocedures performed using the controller and slave devices can beaccurately performed with less user training required.

The terms “center,” “parallel,” “perpendicular,” “aligned,” orparticular measurements in degrees, Hertz, or other units as used hereinneed not be exact and can include typical engineering tolerances.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example teleoperatedsurgical system 100 which can be used with one or more featuresdisclosed herein. Teleoperated surgical system 100 includes a mastercontrol workstation (e.g., surgeon's console) 102 and a manipulatorslave device 104.

In this example, the master control workstation (e.g., surgeon'sconsole) 102 includes a viewer 213 (shown in FIG. 2) where an image of aworksite is displayed during an operating procedure using the system100. For example, the image can be displayed by a display device such asone or more display screens, depict a surgical site during a surgicalprocedure. A support 110 is provided on which a user 112, e.g., anoperator such as a surgeon, can rest his or her forearms while grippingtwo master controllers 210 and 212 (shown in FIG. 2), one in each hand.The master controllers are positioned in a workspace 114 disposedinwardly beyond the support 110. When using the workstation 102, theuser 112 can sit in a chair in front of the workstation, position his orher eyes in front of the viewer and grip the master controllers, one ineach hand, while resting his or her forearms on the support 110.Additional details are described below with reference to FIG. 2.

A manipulator slave device 104 is also included in the teleoperatedsystem 100. During a surgical procedure, the slave device 104 can bepositioned close to a patient (or simulated patient) for surgery, whereit can remain stationary until a particular surgical procedure or stageof a procedure is completed. Manipulator slave device 104 can includeone or more arm assemblies 120. In some examples, one or more of the armassemblies 120 can be configured to hold an image capturing device,e.g., an endoscope 122, which can provide captured images of a portionof the surgical site. In some implementations, the captured images canbe transmitted to the viewer of the workstation 102 and/or transmittedto one or more other displays, e.g., a display 124 coupled to the slavedevice 120. In some examples, each of the other arm assemblies 120 mayinclude a surgical tool 126. Each surgical tool can include a surgicalend effector, e.g., for treating tissue of the patient.

In this example, the arm assemblies 120 can be caused to move andarticulate the surgical tools 126 in response to manipulation of themaster controllers 210 and 212 at the workstation 102 by the user 112,e.g., so that the user 112 can direct surgical procedures at internalsurgical sites through minimally invasive surgical apertures. Forexample, one or more actuators coupled to the arm assemblies 120 canoutput force to cause links or other portions of the arm assemblies tomove in particular degrees of freedom in response to control signalsreceived from the workstation 102. The workstation 102 can be usedwithin a room (e.g., an operating room) with the slave device 104 or canbe positioned more remotely from the slave device 102, e.g., at adifferent location than the slave device.

Some implementations of the teleoperated system 100 can providedifferent modes of operation. In some examples, in a non-controllingmode (e.g., safe mode) of the teleoperated system 100, the controlledmotion of the manipulator slave device 104 is disconnected from themaster controllers of the workstation 102 in disconnected configuration,such that movement and other manipulation of the master controls doesnot cause motion of the manipulator slave device 104. In a controllingmode of the teleoperated system (e.g., following mode), motion of themanipulator slave device 104 can be controlled by the master controls210 and 212 of the workstation 102 such that movement and othermanipulation of the master controllers causes motion of the manipulatorslave device 104, e.g., during a surgical procedure.

Some implementations can be or include a teleoperated medical systemsuch as a da Vinci® Surgical System (e.g., a Model IS3000 or IS4000,marketed as the da Vinci® Si® or da Vinci® Xi® Surgical System),commercialized by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. However,features disclosed herein may be implemented in various ways, includingteleoperated and, if applicable, non-teleoperated (e.g.,locally-controlled) implementations. Implementations on da Vinci®Surgical Systems are merely exemplary and are not to be considered aslimiting the scope of the features disclosed herein. For example,different types of teleoperated systems having slave devices atworksites can make use of actuated controlled features described herein.Other, non-teleoperated systems can also use one or more describedfeatures, e.g., various types of control systems and devices,peripherals, etc.

In some implementations, a controlled slave manipulator device can be avirtual representation of device, e.g., presented in a graphicalsimulation provided by a computing device coupled to the teleoperatedsystem 100. For example, a user can manipulate the master controls 210and 212 of the workstation 102 to control a displayed representation ofan end effector in virtual space of the simulation, similarly as if theend effector were a physical object coupled to a physical slave device.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of an example master controlworkstation 102 as described above for FIG. 1. Master controlworkstation 102 includes a viewer 213, where an image of a worksite canbe displayed during a procedure using the teleoperated system 100. Forexample, images depicting a surgical site can be displayed during asurgical procedure. The viewer 213 can be positioned within a viewingrecess 211 in which the user can position his or her head to view imagesdisplayed by the viewer 213. When using the workstation 102, the user112 can sit in a chair in front of the workstation and position his orher head within the recess 211 such that his or her eyes are positionedin front of the viewer 213.

In some implementations, one or more user presence sensors 214 can bepositioned at one or more locations of the master control workstation102 to detect the presence of a user located next to or near to theworkstation 102. In this example, the user presence sensors 214 cansense a presence of a user's head within the recess 211. For example, anoptical sensor can be used for a presence sensor, where the opticalsensor includes an emitter 216 and a detector 218. A beam of infrared orother wavelength of light is emitted from one side of the recess 211 bythe emitter 216, and the beam is detected on the other side of therecess by the detector 218. If the beam is interrupted from detection bythe detector, the system determines that a user's head is within therecess and that the user is in a proper position to use the mastercontrollers of the master control workstation 102. Additional oralternative types of presence sensors can be used in variousimplementations.

Two master controllers 210 and 212 are provided for user manipulation.In some implementations, each master controller 210 and 212 can beconfigured to control motion and functions an associated arm assembly120 of the manipulator slave device 104. For example, a mastercontroller 210 or 212 can be moved in a plurality of degrees of freedomto move a corresponding end effector of the slave device 104 incorresponding degrees of freedom. The master controllers 210 and 212 arepositioned in workspace 114 disposed inwardly beyond the support 110.For example, a user 112 can rest his or her forearms while gripping thetwo master controllers 210, 212, with one controller in each hand. Theuser also positions his or her head within the viewing recess 211 toview the viewer 213 as described above while manipulating the mastercontrollers 210 and 212. Various examples of master controller portionsare described below.

Some implementations of workstation 102 can include one or more footcontrols 220 positioned below the master controls 210 and 212. The footcontrols 220 can be depressed, slid, and/or otherwise manipulated by auser's feet to input various commands to the teleoperated system whilethe user is sitting at the master control workstation 102.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example portion 300 of a mastercontroller which can include one or more features described herein. Insome implementations, master controller portion 300 can be used as aportion of a master controller 210 or 212 as described above withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In some implementations, the mastercontroller portion 300 includes one or more gimbal mechanisms.

Master controller portion 300 includes a handle 302 which is contactedby a user to manipulate the master controller 300. In this example, thehandle 302 includes two grips that each include a finger loop 304 and agrip member 306. The two grip members 306 are positioned on oppositesides of a central portion 303 of the handle 302, where the grip members306 can be grasped, held, or otherwise contacted by a user's fingers.The two finger loops 304 are attached to grip members 306 and can beused to secure a user's fingers to the associated grip members 306. Theuser may also contact other portions of handle 302 while grasping thegrip members 306. The grip members 306 are pivotally attached to thecentral portion 303 of the handle 302. Each grip member 306 and fingerloop 304 can be moved in an associated degree of freedom 308 by a user.For example, the grip members 306 can be moved simultaneously in apincher-type of movement (e.g., toward or away from each other). Invarious implementations, a single grip member 306 and finger loop 304can be provided, or only one of the grip members 306 can be moved in thedegree of freedom 308 while the other grip member 306 can be fixed withreference to the handle 302.

One or more sensors (not shown) coupled to the handle 302 can detect thepositions of the grip members 306 in their degrees of freedom 308 andsend signals describing the positions to one or more control circuits ofthe teleoperated system 100. The control circuits can provide controlsignals to the slave manipulator device 104, an example of which isdescribed with reference to FIG. 23. For example, the positions of thegrip members 306 in degrees of freedom 308 can be used to control any ofvarious degrees of freedom of an end effector of the slave manipulatordevice 104, some examples of which are described below. Someimplementations of the controller 300 can provide one or more passiveactuators (e.g., springs) between the grip members 306 and the centralportion 303 of the handle 302 to provide resistance in particulardirections of the grips (e.g., movement in directions toward each otherin degree of freedom 308). Various implementations can provide one ormore active actuators (e.g., motors, voice coils, etc.) to output activeforces on the grip members 306 in the degree of freedom 308. Forexample, a sensor and/or actuator can be housed in central portion 303or in housing 309 and coupled to the grip members 306 by a transmission.

The handle 302 of example master controller portion 300 can additionallybe provided with a rotational degree of freedom 310 about an axis 312extending approximately along the center of the central portion 303 ofhandle 302. A user can rotate the grip members 306 as a single unitaround the axis 312 to provide control of, e.g., an end effector of themanipulator slave device 104 or other element of the slave device.

One or more sensors (not shown) can be coupled to the handle 302 todetect the rotation and/or position of the handle 302 in the rotationaldegree of freedom 310. For example, the sensor can send signalsdescribing the position to one or more control circuits of theteleoperated system 100 which can provide control signals to the slavedevice 104 similarly as described above. For example, degree of freedom310 can control a particular degree of freedom of an end effector of theslave device that is different than a slave degree of freedom controlledby degree of freedom 308 of the grip members 306.

Some implementations of the controller 300 can provide one or moreactuators to output forces on the handle 302 (including grip members 306and finger loops 304) in the rotational degree of freedom 310. Forexample, a sensor and/or actuator can be housed in housing 309 andcoupled to the handle 302 by a shaft extending through the centralportion 303 of the handle 302.

In various implementations, the handle 302 can be provided withadditional degrees of freedom. For example, a rotational degree offreedom 320 about an axis 322 can be provided to the handle 302 at arotational coupling between an elbow shaped link 324 and a link 326,where the elbow shaped link 324 is coupled to the handle 302 (e.g., athousing 309). For example, axis 322 can be similar to axis 232 shown inFIG. 2. Additional degrees of freedom can similarly be provided. Forexample, link 326 can be elbow-shaped and a rotational coupling can beprovided between the other end of link 326 and another link (not shown).A rotational degree of freedom 328 about an axis 330 can be provided tothe handle 302 at the rotational coupling. For example, axis 330 can besimilar to axis 230 shown in FIG. 2. In some examples, the mastercontroller 300 can allow movement of the handle 302 within the workspace114 of the master control workstation 102 with a plurality of degrees offreedom, e.g., six degrees of freedom including three rotational degreesof freedom and three translational degrees of freedom. This allows thehandle 302 to be moved to any position and any orientation within itsrange of motion. One or more additional degrees of freedom can be sensedand/or actuated similarly as described above for the degrees of freedom308 and 310. In some implementations, each additional degree of freedomof the handle 302 can control a different slave degree of freedom (orother motion) of an end effector of the slave device 104.

One or more features described herein can be used with other types ofmaster controllers. For example, ungrounded master controllers can beused, which are free to move in space and disconnected from ground. Insome examples, one or more handles similar to handle 302 and/or gripmembers 306 can be coupled to a mechanism worn on a user's hand andwhich is ungrounded, allowing the user to move grips freely in space. Insome examples, the positions of the grips relative to each other and/orto other portions of the handle can be sensed by a mechanism couplingthe grips together and constraining their motion relative to each other.Some implementations can use glove structures worn by a user's hand.Furthermore, some implementations can use sensors coupled to otherstructures to sense the grips within space, e.g., using video cameras orother sensors that can detect motion in 3D space. Some examples ofungrounded master controllers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,543,240and 8,521,331, both incorporated herein by reference. The detection ofuser touch described herein can be used with ungrounded mastercontrollers. For example, vibration can be applied to a handle (e.g.,grip) by one or more actuators coupled to the handle, and this vibrationcan be sensed similarly as described herein to determine if the handleis contacted or grasped by the user.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view and FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of anexample implementation of a portion 400 of a controller including one ormore features described herein. In some implementations, controllerportion 400 can be used as a portion of a master controller 210 or 212as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In someimplementations, the controller portion 400 includes one or more gimbalmechanisms. In this example implementation, the controller portion 400can provide forces in the degrees of freedom of the grips of thecontroller.

Controller portion 400 can include several elements similar tocontroller portion 300 shown in FIG. 3. For example, a handle 402 can becontacted by a user to manipulate the master controller 400. In thisexample, the handle 402 includes two grips that each include a gripmember 406 a or 406 b. The two grip members 406 a and 406 b arepositioned on opposite sides of a central portion 403 of the handle 402,where the grip members 406 a and 406 b can be grasped, held, orotherwise contacted by a user's fingers. For example, finger contacts407 a and 407 b can be connected or formed at the unconnected end of thegrip members 406 a and 406 b, respectively, to provide surfaces tocontact the user's fingers. Finger loops (not shown) similar to fingerloops 304 of FIG. 3 can be attached to the grip members in someimplementations, e.g., to secure a user's fingers to the associated gripmembers 406 a and 406 b.

The grip members 406 a and 406 b are coupled to the central portion 403of the handle 402 at rotational couplings 409 a and 409 b, respectively,allowing rotational movement of the grip members with respect to thecentral portion. Each grip member 406 a and 406 b can be moved in anassociated degree of freedom 408 a and 408 b, respectively (see FIG. 5),e.g., by a user contacting the grip members. For example, in someimplementations the grip members 406 a and 406 b can be movedsimultaneously in a pincher-type of movement (e.g., toward or away fromeach other). For example, the first and second grip members can movesimultaneously and in coordination, e.g., move in opposing directionsand by the same angular amount in their respective degrees of freedom inresponse to motion of the main shaft. In various implementations, asingle grip member 406 a or 406 b can be provided, or only one of thegrip members 406 a or 406 b can be moved in the associated degree offreedom 408 a or 408 b while the other grip member 406 b or 406 a can befixed with reference to the handle 402. In other implementations, thegrip members can be coupled to the handle with other mechanisms and canbe moved in linear degrees of freedom, e.g., in linear directions towardand away from the central portion 403 of the handle 402.

One or more sensors (not shown in FIGS. 4-6) can be coupled to thehandle 402 and/or other components of the controller portion 400 and candetect the positions of the grip members 406 a and 406 b. The sensorscan send signals describing sensed positions and/or motions to one ormore control circuits of the teleoperated system 100. In some modes orimplementations, the control circuits can provide control signals to theslave manipulator device 104. For example, the positions of the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b in degrees of freedom 408 a and 408 b can beused to control any of various degrees of freedom of an end effector ofthe slave manipulator device 104, some examples of which are describedherein.

An active actuator (e.g., motor, voice coil, etc.) 411 can be coupled tothe grip members 406 a and 406 b and can output active forces on thegrip members in the either or both of degrees of freedom 408 a and 408 bbased on control signals received by the actuator 411. For example, theactuator 411 can be coupled to the grip members 406 a and 406 b by amain shaft and/or a transmission. Some examples of such couplings aredescribed below.

A sensor 413 can be used to sense motion of the grip members 406 a and406 b. Sensor 413 can sense the position of a moving portion of actuator411 in its linear range of motion (described below), which indicates theposition of the grip members 406 a and 406 b in their rotary degrees offreedom. The sensor 413 can be any of a variety of types of sensors,e.g., a magnetic sensor (e.g., magnetic incremental linear positionsensor, Hall Effect sensor, etc.), optical sensor, encoder, resistancesensor, etc.

Some implementations of the controller 400 can provide one or morepassive actuators (e.g., springs, brakes, etc.) coupled to the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b and the central portion 403 of the handle 402 toprovide greater resistance in particular directions of the grips (e.g.,movement in directions toward each other in degrees of freedom 408 a and408 b) than in other directions (e.g., movement in directions away fromeach other in degrees of freedom 408 a and 408 b). Passive actuators canprovide resistance in rotation of handle 402 about axis 412. Someexamples of a passive actuator are described below.

The handle 402 of example master controller portion 400 can additionallybe provided with a rotational degree of freedom 410 about an axis 412extending approximately along the center of the central portion 403 ofhandle 402. A user can rotate the grip members 406 a and 406 b as asingle unit around the axis 412 to provide control of, e.g., an endeffector of the manipulator slave device 104 or other component of theslave device.

An active actuator 414 can be coupled to the handle 402 and outputforces on the handle 402 (including grip members 406) in the rotationaldegree of freedom 410. Some examples of the transmission of force fromactuator 414 to the handle 402 are described with respect to FIG. 6. Oneor more sensors can be coupled to the handle 402 to detect the rotationand/or position of the handle 402 in the rotational degree of freedom410. For example, the sensor can send signals describing the position toone or more control circuits of the teleoperated system 100 which canprovide control signals to the slave device 104 similarly as describedabove. In some examples, a sensor (e.g., a rotary encoder) can becoupled with actuator 414 to sense rotation of the actuator shaft ofactuator 414 and sense rotation of the handle about axis 412.

In various implementations, the handle 402 can be provided withadditional degrees of freedom. For example, a rotational degree offreedom 420 about an axis 422 can be provided to the handle 402 at arotational coupling between an elbow shaped link 424 and another link(not shown), similarly as shown for elbow shaped link 324 and link 326of controller portion 300 of FIG. 3. Additional degrees of freedom cansimilarly be provided as described above for FIG. 3. In some examples,the master controller 400 can allow movement of the handle 402 withinthe workspace 114 of the master control workstation 102 with a pluralityof degrees of freedom, e.g., six degrees of freedom including threerotational degrees of freedom and three translational degrees offreedom. This allows the handle 402 to be moved to any position and anyorientation within its range of motion. One or more additional degreesof freedom can be sensed and/or actuated similarly as described abovefor the degrees of freedom. In some implementations, each additionaldegree of freedom of the handle 402 can control a different slave degreeof freedom of an end effector of the slave device 104.

In some implementations, handle 402 can also include one or moreswitches or buttons 440, e.g., coupled to the central portion 403 or tomechanisms within central portion 403. For example, two buttons 440 caneach be positioned on opposite sides of axis 412, or additional buttonscan be provided. In some examples, button 440 can slide parallel to theaxis 412, e.g., as directed by a user's finger, or the button can bedepressed. The button 440 can be moved to various positions to provideparticular command signals, e.g., to select functions, options, or modesof the control console and/or master controller (e.g., a controllingmode or non-controlling mode as described below), to command a slavedevice or other system in communication with the master controller, etc.In an example implementation, button 440 can be coupled to a magnet. Forexample, button 440 can be coupled to a rod that extends parallel to theaxis 412, where the rod can include a magnet at its end. The magnet issensed by a magnetic sensor coupled to a plate 430, where the plate 430is rigidly coupled to the central portion 403 of the handle 402. Whenthe button 440 is activated by the user, e.g., slid by a user parallelto axis 412, the magnet is moved into a range sensed by the magneticsensor. Other types of sensors can alternatively be used, such asoptical sensors, mechanical switches, etc.

In some implementations, a touch-sensitive sensing surface can beprovided on the handle 402 to sense a user's touch using any of avariety of types of sensors such as capacitive sensors, resistivesensors, optical sensors, etc. In some examples, one or more suchsensing surfaces can be provided on the central portion 403 of thehandle 402. In another example, a sensing surface can be provided on aportion of plate 430. The sensing surface can be tapped by a user'sfinger to provide selections or commands, and/or various gestures of theuser's finger(s) over the sensing surface can be sensed to providedifferent selections or commands (e.g., a swipe, pinch, fingers movingaway from each other, etc.).

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of master controller portion 400 of FIG. 4showing the controller portion from a different perspective. In thisexample, actuator 411 is shown coupled to a main shaft 602 which islinearly moved by the actuator to provide forces to the grip members 406a and 406 b. The axis 412 can be the longitudinal axis of the main shaft602, for example. In this example implementation, actuator 411 is alinear voice coil actuator outputting linear forces. A moving portion604 of the actuator 411 is forced linearly along the axis 412 withrespect to the grounded portion 606 of the actuator 411. The groundedportion 606 is coupled to the structure 610, which is rigidly coupled tothe link 424. For example, in some implementations the moving portion604 can include a coil holder having a coil. When electric current isprovided in the coil, the moving portion 604 is caused to move based onthe magnetic field induced with a magnet of the grounded portion 606.Alternatively, the coil can be provided in the grounded portion 606 andthe magnet provided in the moving portion 604.

Moving portion 604 of the actuator 411 can move linearly along a guiderail 612 that is coupled to the grounded structure 610. A groove or slot(not shown) is provided in the moving portion 604 to engage with theguide rail 612 and align its movement with the guide rail 612. Othermechanisms can be used in other implementations to guide the movingportion 604 along axis 412. For example, a linear rail can be providedon the moving portion 604 and a groove or slot can be provided in thegrounded structure 610. Sensor 413 can sense the position and/or motionof the moving portion 604 to determine the position or motion of thegrip members 406 a and 406 b, which are coupled to the linear motion ofmoving portion 604 through main shaft 602.

The second actuator 414 can be a rotary actuator coupled to thestructure 610. In this example, the actuator 414 is positioned such thatits axis of rotation 416 is offset from the central axis 412. Theactuator 414 can output rotational forces on its shaft to drive therotation of the handle 402 about axis 412. For example, a belt 620 cangrip the rotating shaft of the actuator 414 and can also grip a pulley622 that is configured to rotate about axis 412. This configurationallows the actuator 414 to rotate the pulley 622. The pulley 622 can berigidly coupled to a member including plate 430 (shown in FIG. 4), wherethe member and plate 430 are rigidly coupled to the central portion 403of the handle 402. Thus, the pulley 622 can transmit rotational forcesto the handle 402 around axis 412. In some implementation, the belt 620can be a toothed belt that engages a toothed circumferential surface ofpulley 622 to provide traction between belt and pulley.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are side elevational views of the interior of controllerportion 400 of FIG. 4 and showing different positions of the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b.

In FIG. 7A, the grip members 406 a and 406 b are in an “open” position,e.g., the grip members are at a position in which their disconnectedends are furthest away from each other as allowed by the coupledmechanism. To obtain this position from a position in which the linksare closer to each other, the actuator 411 provides a force in thedirection 702 away from the grip members 406 a and 406 b. For example,the moving portion 604 of the actuator 411 can be moved in direction702. Moving portion 604 is coupled to the main shaft 602 at a coupling704. Coupling 704 couples the main shaft 602 to the moving portion 604of the actuator 411 along the linear directions of axis 412, anddecouples the shaft 602 and moving portion 604 in the rotationaldirections around axis 412 so that the shaft 602 can rotate withoutrotating the moving portion 604.

The main shaft 602 is also decoupled in rotation from the pulley 622 andthe central portion 403 of the handle 402 so that the shaft can rotatewithout rotating these elements. The tip 706 of the main shaft 602 isconnected to one end of a spring 708 that extends along the axis 412,where the other end of the spring 708 is connected to a pin 710 that isconnected to the central portion 403 of the handle 402. Spring 708compresses in the direction opposite to direction 702. Depending on therest position of the spring 708 in different implementations and thecurrent position of the shaft 602 along axis 412, the spring 708 canbias the movement of the main shaft 602 in either direction 702 or inthe opposite direction. In some implementations, pin 710 can be madeadjustable by a user. For example, the pin 710 can include screw threadsto move the pin 710 along the axis 412 when rotated, thus adjusting thetension in spring 708.

Two intermediate links 714 a and 714 b are connected at one of theirends to the main shaft 602 at rotational couplings 716 a and 716 b,respectively, allowing the intermediate links to rotate with respect tothe main shaft 602. The intermediate links 714 a and 714 b are connectedat their other ends to the grip members 406 a and 406 b at rotationalcouplings 718 a and 718 b, allowing the intermediate links to rotatewith respect to the grip members 406 a and 406 b.

In response to the main shaft 602 being moved along axis 412, force istransmitted from the shaft 602 along the intermediate links 714 a and714 b to the grip members 406 a and 406 b. This causes force in therotational degrees of freedom of the grip members 406 a and 406 b, e.g.,around the axes at couplings 409 a and 409 b, respectively. In thedescribed implementation, the rotational coupling 716 a is positioned onthe opposite side of axis 412 from the grip member 406 a that receivesforce from the link 714 a connected to that rotational coupling 716 a.Similarly, the rotational coupling 716 b is positioned on the oppositeside of axis 412 from the grip 406 b that receives force from the link714 b connected to that rotational coupling 716 b. These connectionscause the intermediate links 714 a and 714 b to cross in a scissorconfiguration when viewed from the side as in FIGS. 7A and 7B. In someimplementations, the shaft end of intermediate link member 714 a iscoupled to the shaft 602 at a first location of the shaft at coupling716 a that is spaced further from the grip member 406 a than a secondlocation of the shaft at coupling 716 b. The shaft end of theintermediate link member 714 b is coupled to the shaft 602 at the secondlocation of the shaft at coupling 716 b that is spaced further from thegrip member 406 b than the first location of the shaft at coupling 716a.

In some implementations, the intermediate links 714 a and 714 b canrotate in respective planes approximately parallel to each other, e.g.,close to and not touching each other. For example, the intermediatelinks 714 a and 714 b can be positioned in planes offset to one side ofthe axis 412 such that these planes do not intersect the axis 412. Insome implementations, the intermediate links 714 a and 714 b can bepositioned on opposite sides of the axis 412.

In FIG. 7B, the grip members 406 a and 406 b have been positioned in a“closed” position, e.g., the grip members are at a position in whichtheir disconnected ends are closest to each other. To obtain thisposition from the position shown in FIG. 7A, the actuator 411 provides aforce in the direction 703 toward the grip members 406 a and 406 b. Forexample, the moving portion 604 of the actuator 411 can be moved indirection 703. Moving portion 604 causes the main shaft 602 to move indirection 703.

The movement of main shaft 602 in direction 703 causes the rotationalcouplings 716 a and 716 b to be moved in that same direction. Thiscauses the intermediate links 714 a and 714 b to exert force on the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b in the directions in which they are rotatedtowards each other. The grip members 406 a and 406 b can be rotated inthis manner until reaching the closed end position as shown in FIG. 7B.

The spring 708 can be tensioned to have a rest position such that forceis exerted on the main shaft 602 in the direction 702 (shown in FIG. 7A)when the grip members are in the closed position shown in FIG. 7B. Thiscauses a force that biases the grip members 406 a and 406 b to move awayfrom each other in some or all of the movement range of the grip members406 a and 406 b. In some implementations, multiple springs can beconnected to the main shaft 602 to provide multiple differentresistances for the degrees of freedom of the grip members 406 a and 406b. For example, concentric springs can be provided, where one of thesprings is providing resistance in an initial position range of the gripmembers, until a second position range of the grip members in which thesecond spring is encountered such that both springs provide resistanceto the grip member motion. Additional springs can also be used foradditional resistance at other position ranges.

In some implementations, other mechanisms can be used. For example, theintermediate links 714 a and 714 b can be provided in differentconfigurations connecting the main shaft 602 to the grip members 406 aand 406 b. In some examples, the rotational couplings 716 a and 716 b,and/or 718 a and 718 b, can be positioned in different locations ontheir respective components. In some implementations, rotationalcouplings 716 a and 716 b can be co-located to rotate about the sameaxis.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example arm assembly 800 orportion thereof, which can be used for one or more of the arm assemblies120 of the manipulator slave device 104 shown in FIG. 1, and which insome implementations can be controlled by master controllerimplementations described herein. Arm assembly 800 can include multiplelinks 802, 804, and 806 coupled to each other by rotational couplings.For example, link member 802 can be coupled to a grounded structure,link member 804 can be coupled to link member 802, and link member 806can be coupled to link member 804. Each link member can be coupled tothe other link member(s) at rotational axes sensed and driven by sensorsand actuators, allowing portions of arm assembly 800 to be actuated andsensed about rotational axes 810, 812, and 814. Some implementations canprovide additional actuated and/or sensed motion of the arm assembly,e.g., about axes extending lengthwise through the links 802, 804, and806, thus allowing rotation about axes 820, 822, and 824. One example ofa surgical manipulator arm is a da Vinci® surgical system instrumentmanipulator arm available from Intuitive Surgical, Inc. of Sunnyvale,Calif.

An end effector mechanism 840 can be coupled to the end of link member806 and provides an end effector 842 at its distal end. The end effector842 is provided the degrees of freedom provided by the rotation of thelink members 802, 804, and 806 as described above. End effectormechanism 840 additionally can provide linear motion to the end effector842 along a linear axis 844. Furthermore, end effector mechanism 840 canprovide rotational and other degrees of freedom to the end effector 842as described below with reference to FIG. 9. In some examples, actuatorsand sensors included in a mechanism 846 of the end effector mechanism840 can provide such degrees of freedom to the end effector 842.

In some implementations, components in the arm assembly 800 can functionas force transmission mechanisms to receive teleoperated servo actuationforces and redirect the received forces to operate components of the endeffector 842. In some examples, end effector 842 receives multipleseparate actuation inputs from the end effector mechanism 840 and/orother arm assembly components, e.g., where the number of actuationinputs depend on the number of instrument features to be controlled. Inother examples, the end effector 842 can include one or more motors orother actuators that operate associated features of the end effector.Some implementations can control end effector features such as thepitch, yaw, and/or roll of the end effector 842, opening jaws of the endeffector 842, the output of material transported through a connectingtube and out of end effector 842 (e.g., liquid or other fluids), suctionforces provided by end effector 842, and/or any of a multiple of otherend effector functions (e.g., moving a blade, etc.).

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of one example of an end effector 900. Forexample, end effector 900 can be used as end effector 842 of the armassembly 800 as referenced above with respect to FIG. 8. End effector900 is an example surgical instrument that can operate as forceps in asurgical procedure to grasp tissue, objects, etc. Other types ofsurgical instruments and end effectors can be used in otherimplementations as described elsewhere herein.

End effector 900 can be provided at a distal end of a main tube 910which can be coupled to another portion of the end effector mechanism840 shown in FIG. 8, for example. A proximal clevis 912 is coupled tothe distal end of main tube 910, and a distal clevis 914 is coupled tothe proximal clevis 912 by a rotational coupling. The forceps endeffector 900 includes jaws 916 and 918 that are coupled to the distalclevis 914 by a rotational coupling.

The jaws 916 and 918 are provided with several physical degrees offreedom that can be manipulated by the master controllers 210 and 212 ofthe master control workstation 102 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). Forexample, the jaws 916 and 918 can be rotated about axis 930 of the linkbetween the jaws and the distal clevis 914, e.g., to open and close thejaws with respect to each other as shown by arrow 932, and/or to rotatethe jaws in conjunction to a different rotational position. In addition,the jaws 916 and 918 can be rotated about axis 934 of the link betweendistal clevis 914 and proximal clevis 916, e.g., to rotate the jaws inspace. In addition, the jaws 916 and 918 can be translated along linearaxis 936, which in some implementations can correspond to the linearaxis 844 shown in FIG. 8.

When using the example master controller portion 400 of FIGS. 4-6,movement of the end effector 900 in one or more degrees of freedom cancorrespond to movement in one or more degrees of freedom of the mastercontroller handle 402 by a user. For example, the positions of gripmembers 406 a and 406 b of controller portion 400 in their degrees offreedom can control corresponding rotational positions of the jaws 916and 918 about axis 930. The motions of the jaws 916 and 918 in otherdegrees of freedom of the end effector can be controlled by particularassociated degrees of freedom of a master controller 210 or 212.

In some implementations, one or more of the degrees of freedom of theend effector 900 can be controlled using tendons, e.g., cables (notshown), that are mechanically coupled to one or more of the elements914, 916, and 918 and extend through tube 910 to a transmission or othermechanism. For example, the tendons can be coupled to pulleys and/orother transmission elements driven by actuators and sensed by sensorsprovided in mechanism 846 coupled to arm assembly 800 as shown in FIG.8.

In some examples, the end effector 900 can be inserted through apatient's body wall (or simulated body wall) to reach a surgical site.In some implementations, main tube 910 may include a cavity that canprovide material transfer along the tube. For example, material may betransferred between a distal end and a proximal end of tube 910, orpoints near the proximal end and near the distal end of tube 910. Forexample, main tube 910 (or other tube) can couple a surgical irrigationfluid (liquid or gas) source (not shown) to the end effector 900 so thatirrigation fluid can be routed from a source through the main tube toexit via end effector 900. Similarly, main tube 910 can couple asurgical suction source (not shown) to end effector 900 so that materialfrom a surgical site can be drawn into end effector 900 and through tube910 to the source. Other types of connection features can be provided inother implementations.

Other types of arm assemblies and types of end effectors can be used inother implementations. For example, end effector mechanisms andinstruments can include flexible elements, articulated “snake” arms,steerable guide tubes, catheters, scalpels or cutting blades,electro-surgical elements (e.g., monopolar or bipolar electricalinstruments), harmonic cutters, scissors, forceps, retractors, dilators,clamps, cauterizing tools, needles, needle drivers, staplers, drills,probes, scopes, light sources, guides, measurement devices, vesselsealers, laparoscopic tools, or other tip, mechanism or device.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of a graph 1000 of example outputforce profiles that can be used with one or more features describedherein. Graph 1000 has a vertical dimension indicating a scale of anoutput force that is provided on a handle, e.g., the master controllerhandle 402 as described above with reference to FIGS. 4-7B. For example,the output force can be output on each of the grip members 406 a and 406b in the rotary degrees of freedom 408 a and 408 b, respectively, usingthe active actuator 411 and a transmission mechanism including mainshaft 602 and intermediate links 714 a and 714 b. In some examples, theoutput force (grip force) can be output in directions on the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b to bias the grip members towards or away fromeach other, as provided by the link structure shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

Graph 1000 has a horizontal dimension indicating a range of grippositions, e.g., the angular position of a grip member 406 a or 406 b inits rotary degree of freedom. In this example, the horizontal dimensionranges from the left edge of the graph that corresponds to the closedposition of the grip member (e.g., as in FIG. 7B) to the right edge ofthe graph that corresponds to the open position of the grip member(e.g., as in FIG. 7A).

A number of different force profiles are shown which, in someimplementations, can be used in association with the grip members 406 aand 406 b to provide different forces for different grip memberpositions. For example, different force profiles can be used to applydifferent forces when controlling different types of end effectors of aslave device. A force profile indicates the particular force output on agrip member 406 a or 406 b at a particular position of the grip memberin its rotary degree of freedom. In some implementations, a forceprofile can indicate the force output on both grip members 406 a and 406b at corresponding positions in their degrees of freedom, e.g., usingthe mechanisms of FIGS. 4-7B. In some implementations, the force profilecan be the result of an actuator force output from an active actuator(e.g., actuator 411) in combination with a passive force provided by apassive actuator such as spring 708. In some examples, to achieve aparticular force profile output, the actuator force output may varybased on the linearity of the mechanical system between the actuator andthe grip members and based on the involved forces from spring 708, e.g.,as indicated below in examples of FIGS. 11A-11B.

In some examples, a force profile can be defined by a force outputfunction that indicates the output force on the grip member based on theposition of the grip member, e.g., a linear function, an exponentialfunction, etc. In further examples, one or more of the force profilescan describe a multiple-stage force output, where different force outputfunctions can be used at different ranges of positions of a grip memberto provide different force sensations on the grip member at thedifferent position ranges. For example, a multiple-stage force profilecan include multiple different linear force output functions thatindicate the amount of force output on a grip member at the positions ofthe grip member in an associated range of positions in the degree offreedom. In some examples, multiple linear functions of a force profilecan have different slopes, or other characteristics or shapes so as toprovide different sensations to the user at different position ranges ofthe grip member. For example, a more resistant spring force can beoutput in one position range, a force bump can be output in a differentposition range, etc.

In some examples, a force profile 1002 can describe a multiple-stageforce output on the grip members 406 a and 406 b which can be enabled byimplementations of actuators and mechanisms described herein. Threedifferent example stages are shown, each using a linear force outputfunction. For example, at an open position of the grip members,represented at the right edge of the graph 1000, force profile 1002indicates that a smaller output force applied in the directions of thedegrees of freedom that force the grip members apart from each other,thus allowing a user to move the grip members together more easily. Asthe grip members are moved closer toward each other, corresponding to adirection from right to left on the graph 1000, the force opposing thismotion is increased linearly as shown on the right linear section ofprofile 1002. At a point 1004 of the profile 1002, the opposing outputforce is ramped up with a higher slope (e.g., higher increase inopposing force from left to right on graph 1000) for positions closer tothe closed position of the grip members. This increase in opposing forcecan be a “bumper” that notifies the user of a particular position in therange of motion of the grip members 406 a and 406 b. In some examples,this increased force is provided for a short range of positions betweenpoints 1004 and 1006, and then at point 1006 the opposing force isincreased at a more gradual (lower) rate for positions of the gripmembers closer to each other (to the left of point 1006 on profile1002), e.g., the increase in opposing force is less to the left of point1006 than the increase in opposing force between points 1004 and 1006,in a direction from left to right. In some examples, the change in forceto the left of point 1006 to a more gradually-increasing force can causethe higher-sloped increase in force output from point 1004 to point 1006to be more noticeable to the user. For example, in some implementations,a user may be more sensitive in feeling changes or transitions in therate of force output (e.g., at points 1004 and 1006) than in changes offorce provided at a constant rate (e.g., between points 1004 and 1006).

In some examples, the force bumper provided by the changes in forceoutput to the left of point 1004 can describe resistance to closing thegrip members 406 a and 406 b which can to notify the user. For example,a particular instrument used for a controlled end effector may cause aparticular action or effect if commanded by the grip members to closepast the point 1004 from left to right in the graph 1000. In oneexample, a forceps-like instrument (e.g., forceps end effector 900) mayhold a particular item between its jaws. If the grip members 406 a and406 b are moved closer to each other than (to the left of) the positionat point 1006, the jaws will be fully closed. The increase in forceoutput at point 1004 can thus reduce the likelihood that the user willinadvertently move the grip members 406 a and 406 b closer together thanthe position at point 1006. In addition, the increase in force outputcan notify the user that the grip members 406 a and 406 b have reachedthe position beyond which the forceps will be closed. In this and otherexamples, a sudden change in stiffness followed by an increase instiffness as the grip members are moved in particular directions (e.g.,toward the closed position) can signify to the user a controllermovement zone to be entered with user intent.

In some implementations, the force profile 1002 can simulate the use oftwo physical springs concentrically positioned, one inside the other,that provide resistance to the grip members 406 a and 406 b. Forexample, the force output to the right of point 1002 of force profile1002 can simulate the simulated compression of a first spring before asecond spring has been contacted. The force output between points 1004and 1006 can be the simulated compression of both the first spring and asecond spring that has a partial preloaded compression, which causes agreater rate of resistance to closing the grip members between points1004 and 1006. The force output to the left of point 1006 can be thesimulated compression of the first spring and the second spring, wherethe second spring is compressing after having moved through its preloadin the region between points 1004 and 1006.

A force profile 1010 can describe a multiple-stage force to be output onthe grip members 406 a and 406 b. Force profile 1010 can be similar toforce profile 1002 by having three stages with linear force outputfunctions. For example, the force output for positions to the right ofpoint 1012 on the force profile 1010 provide resistance to closing thegrip members 406 a and 406 b from a fully open position (represented atthe right limit to profile 1010). For grip positions between point 1012and point 1014 on the profile 1010, an increased force is output,resisting closure of the grip members 406 a and 406 b. For grippositions closer to the closed position than (to the left of) point 1014on profile 1010, the rate of increase in output force resisting closureis reduced relative to the stage between points 1012 and 1014.

In some examples, the force profile 1010 can be provided whencontrolling an end effector that is different than an end effectorcontrolled using the force profile 1002. For example, the point 1012 onprofile 1010 occurs closer to the fully open position of the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b than the corresponding point 1004 of forceprofile 1002. This causes a force “bumper” at a different position ofthe grip members. For example, this can be useful for particular typesof end effectors. In one example, a bipolar cautery instrument mayrequire that the jaws of the controlled instrument be apart by aparticular distance or less in order for cauterizing energy to passbetween the jaws of the instrument. The point 1012, and the change inforce output at that point, can indicate that particular distance, e.g.,can indicate the position of the grip members 406 a and 406 b that willcause the jaws of the instrument to be positioned at that particulardistance.

A force profile 1020 can describe a multiple-stage force to be output onthe grip members 406 a and 406 b. For example, force profile 1020 canprovide three different force output stages similarly to force profiles1002 and 1010, where point 1022 on force profile 1020 is similar topoints 1004 and 1012 of force profiles 1002 and 1010, and point 1024 onforce profile 1020 is similar to points 1006 and 1014 of force profiles1002 and 1010. In some examples, force profile 1020 can be used in thecontrol of a different type of instrument at the end effector. Forexample, the force output at grip positions between points 1022 and 1024has a lower slope and is closer to the rightmost stage of force profile1020 than corresponding output forces used for profiles 1002 and 1010.This causes the force bumper between points 1020 and 1022 on profile1020 to be less noticeable to the user operating the grip members 406 aand 406 b. For example, some instruments may not need a strong forcebumper to indicate a particular position of the grip members orparticular instrument state. In some implementations, theless-noticeable force bumper of the force profile 1020 can be used tomore subtly indicate a particular grip position to the user.

A force profile 1030 can describe a two-stage force applied to the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b. The force output for grip positions to theright of point 1032 on the force profile 1030 provide resistance toclosing the grip members 406 a and 406 b from a fully open position. Forgrip positions to the right of point 1032 on the profile 1030, a forceis output on the grip members 406 a and 406 b that increases at agreater rate (e.g., greater slope) from right to left than in therightmost stages of the force profiles 1002, 1010, and 1020. For grippositions to the left of point 1032 on profile 1030, the change inoutput force is reduced so that it is almost flat, e.g., an almostconstant force output at the grip positions from point 1032 to theclosed position at the left.

In some examples, the force profile 1030 can be used in the control of aparticular type of end effector. For example, a particular end effectorinstrument may provide a particular action or effect if commanded withgrip positions to the left of the point 1032. In one example, the endeffector instrument can be a clip applier that has jaws similar to aforceps instrument, and which are specialized to hold an open clipbetween its jaws. The clip applier jaws can be closed to permanentlyclose the clip, where a closed clip can be used to join or attachportions of surgical tissue, for example. In the force profile 1030, thepoint 1032 can indicate a closing grip position, where grip positions tothe left of the point 1032 will cause the controlled clip applier toclose, which in turn causes the held clip to close. The grip positionsto the right of point 1032 can thus receive increased resistance asshown for profile 1030. The user has to overcome a stronger resistanceto move the grips past the point 1032, thus reducing the likelihood thatthe user operator will inadvertently close the grips past the point 1032and thus inadvertently close a held clip. Some implementations canposition the point 1032 further to the left on the force profile 1030,e.g., to provide more movement range for the grip members when movingfrom the open position before the grip members encounter a bumperindicating the position to close the clip.

A force profile 1040 can describe a single-stage force applied to thegrip members 406 a and 406 b. For example, a linearly-increasing springforce can be applied to the degrees of freedom of the grip members 406 aand 406 b, or to a portion of the degrees of freedom. In the example offorce profile 1040, a linearly-increasing force is applied to the gripmembers within a small range of grip positions adjacent to the closedposition of the grip members at the left side of the graph 1000 (e.g.,about 3 degrees of the 30 degree range of grip positions). This forceoutput allows the grip members to feel a steeply-increasing forceresistance the closer they are moved to the closed position.

In some implementations, the grip members can be held, or can be biasedto be held, to maintain a position within a controlled and/or predefinedrange portion of their degrees of freedom, e.g., a limited range ofpositions, due to actuator forces provided by the active actuator. Thepredefined range portion can be a subset of positions of the full rangeof positions allowed in the degree of freedom of the grip member. Forexample, in some implementations using force profile 1042, the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b can be held to an approximate position 1042 (orwithin a small range of positions approximately centered on position1042), e.g., at about 3 degrees from the closed position. In the exampleof FIGS. 4-7B, to hold the grip positions, the actuator 411 outputsforce on the main shaft 602 in the opposite direction to the forceoutput shown in graph 1000 so that the grip members 406 a and 406 bresist being opened further by the force provided from the physicalspring 708. The actuator 411 can hold this position of the grip memberswhether or not the user is touching or holding the grip members. If auser moves the grip members closer to a closed position from the heldposition 1042, the grip members are allowed to close, with a forceresisting the closing motion as indicated by force profile 1040. In someexamples, this small range of motion of the grip members allowed nearthe closed position can be used in some implementations to relievestress or tension on a user's fingers or hands during use of the gripmembers by the user, e.g., caused by the user holding the grips tightly.

Some implementations can hold the grip members to a single position or asmall sub-range of the grip member's movement when controllingparticular types of instruments as the end effector. For example, a hook(e.g., cautery hook), probe, spatula, or other type of instrument thathas a single tip or monopole can be controlled by the handle 402 havingthe grip members 406 a and 406 b held in a closed position, or heldclose to a closed position, e.g., using a force profile similar toprofile 1040. The degrees of freedom of the controller portion 400 otherthan the grip member degrees of freedom can be used to control and movethe end effector in corresponding degrees of freedom in space.

In other implementations, the grip members 406 a and 406 b can be heldat other positions or sub-ranges of positions in the degrees of freedomof the grip members, e.g., in the middle of the degree of freedom, nearthe open position of the grip members 406 a and 406 b, etc. In someimplementations, if a force profile indicates that an amount of forceshould be quickly changed by a large magnitude (e.g., more than aparticular threshold amount of force), then the force can be graduallychanged from its current output to the indicated level of output, e.g.,ramping the forces. For example, a user may suddenly be detected usingthe controller, causing a sudden change of output from zero force to ahigh magnitude force indicated by the force profile. Such a force can begradually ramped up to the indicated high magnitude. In another example,the grip members may be being held at a closed position by the actuatorforce during use, and then a condition occurs to cause the force to beremoved from the grips. If the force is quickly removed, this may allowthe spring to force open the grips quickly, which may be alarming to theuser. Thus, the actuator force can be ramped down by the actuator andgradually removed from the grip members to reduce this effect.

Some implementations can allow user or operator customization of forceprofiles. For example, if a particular user prefers that a large rangeof motion be provided to the grip members to control a particularinstrument, then a force profile providing a normal (smaller) range ofmotion of the grip members can be changed to a different force profilethat allows a larger range of motion to be more easily used (e.g., bymoving a force change point such as point 1004 further to the left inthe graph of FIG. 10). In some implementations, a different set ofcustomized force profiles can be associated with different users. Forexample, the identity of the user using the master controller can bedetermined, e.g., using any of known techniques such as user login withpassword, user biometrics recognition (voice, fingerprint, retina,etc.), and other techniques. A stored set of customized force profilesassociated with that user can then be selected and used duringcontroller operation. These force profiles can also be selected based onthe type of end effector being used, as described herein.

In some implementations, a single grip member 406 a or 406 b can bemoved and actuated independently of the other grip members. For example,each a grip member 406 a and 406 b can receive force derived from outputof a respective associated actuator. One of such independent gripmembers 406 a and 406 b can receive forces to achieve a different forceprofile than the other grip member 406. In some examples, one gripmember 406 a or 406 b can be held at or close to a closed position,e.g., based on force profile 1040, and the other grip member 406 b or406 a can be provided with forces based on a different force profile,e.g., force profile 1002, 1010, etc. In some implementations, an endeffector can be controlled based on movement of one grip member 406 a or406 b in its degree of freedom, e.g., the grip member controlled byforce profile 1002 or 1010.

In some implementations, other types of force profiles can be used. Forexample, force profile curves can include bumps or spikes, e.g., wherethe profile goes higher to a point and then lower than the point in thedirection from left to right. Some implementations can use forceprofiles that are discontinuous or otherwise have large jumps in forceoutput. For example, in the direction from left to right on graph 1000,the profile can stop at a first grip position and resume for furtherpositions at a different output force that is higher or lower than theoutput force at the first grip position.

FIG. 11A is a diagrammatic illustration of a graph 1100 of exampleactuator force profiles that show example forces output by an actuatorover a position range of a controller handle. In this example, graph1100 has a vertical axis indicating an example scale of an output forcethat is provided by the actuator 411 onto the main shaft 602 as shown inFIGS. 6 and 7A-7B. A positive force on this axis indicates a force inthe linear direction on the main shaft that biases the grip members 406a and 406 b toward their open position, and a negative force on thisaxis indicates a force that biases the grip members 406 a and 406 btoward their closed position. Graph 1100 has a horizontal dimensionindicating an example range of positions of a component of thecontroller receiving force from the actuator, e.g., the positionsoccupied by the main shaft 602 or a moving portion of an actuator. Inthis example, the horizontal dimension ranges from the left edge of thegraph that corresponds to the shaft position at the closed position ofthe grip members (e.g., as in FIG. 7B) to the right edge thatcorresponds to the shaft position at the open position of the gripmembers (e.g., as in FIG. 7A). The force curves shown in graph 1100 canbe similar to force curves for mechanisms other than the implementationsof FIGS. 4-7B.

A force curve 1102 indicates forces required to be output by theactuator 411 to causing a resulting force that maintains the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b at approximately a static position in theirdegrees of freedom. The actuator 411 outputs a force that maintains thegrip members 406 a and 406 b in opposition to the force provided by thespring 708. The spring biases the grip members 406 a and 406 b towardthe open position, so the forces of curve 1102 are in the negativedirection that bias toward the closed position. The curve 1102 shows alinear output required over the range of positions of the main shaft602, in opposition to the linear force provided by the spring over thatrange of positions.

A force curve 1110 indicates forces required to be output by theactuator 411 to cause a consistent resulting nominal force on the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b. In one example, the particular nominal forcecan be a force magnitude at a position of a force profile such as any ofthe force profiles shown in FIG. 10. Curve 1110 shows positive forces sothat the actuator output force works in conjunction with the forceprovided by the spring 708 to resist closing of the grip members towardthe closed position.

The force curve 1110 shows a particular actuator force at the right endof the curve 1110 (e.g., about 0.4 pounds in one example) which isoutput by the actuator at the open position of the grip members 406 aand 406 b. The curve 1110 dips slightly over the curve toward the leftof the open position (as the grip members 406 a and 406 b are atpositions closer to the closed position), and rises again at the leftend of the curve 1110 at the closed position of the grip members,corresponding to a force value slightly above the value at the right endof the curve 1110. Thus, force curve 1110 indicates an approximatelylinear output required by the actuator over the range of positions ofthe grip members to provide the desired nominal force on the gripmembers. The actuator output need not be compensated significantly toprovide a consistent output force on the grip members 406 a and 406 bover the range of motion of the grip members.

A force curve 1120 indicates forces required to be output by theactuator 411 to cause a consistent resulting higher force on the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b than indicated by force curve 1110. For example,the force indicated by curve 1120 can be output by the actuator toprovide a particular maximum force level to the grip members (e.g., 1.5Newtons in some examples). Force curve 1120 can be similarly shaped toforce curve 1110, except at higher values of force output by theactuator. A particular actuator force at the right end of the curve 1120(e.g., about 0.5 pounds in one example) is output at the open positionof the grip members 406 a and 406 b. The curve 1120 is approximatelyflat over the curve toward the left of the open position, and then risesnear the closed position of the grip members, ending at a force valueabove the value at the right end of the curve 1110 (e.g., about 0.8pounds in the example). Thus, force curve 1120 indicates a rising outputforce required to be output by the actuator as the grip members aremoved toward the closed position, in order to provide the desiredmaximum force on the grip members.

The force curves 1102, 1110 and 1120 also indicate that the range ofoutput of the actuator 411 is being utilized efficiently. For example,force curve 1110 requires a maximum of about −0.8 pounds output force,and force curve 1120 requires a maximum of about 0.8 pounds outputforce, which are approximately the same in opposite directions.

The shape and range of the curves 1102, 1110, and 1120 can be determinedbased on the particular mechanisms used in the master controller toprovide forces on the grip members. For example, the lengths of the mainshaft 602 and other links used in the transmission mechanism, thelocations of the couplings between the shaft and links, the propertiesof the spring 708 (e.g., spring constant, preload), and/or the forceoutput capability of the actuator 411 over its output range can all betuned to provide curves similar to the force curves shown in FIG. 11A,or other desired force curves. For example, nonlinearity of actuatorforces and/or of forces provided by the spring 708 can be compensated inother characteristics of the system, including link lengths and couplinglocations between links. Non-linearity of the components can beleveraged to provide a realistic experience of spring forces and otherforces on the grip members, and, for example, can allow the user to feelas if he or she is manipulating a controlled object realistically.

FIG. 11B is a diagrammatic illustration of a graph 1150 of additionalexample actuator force profiles that show another example effect offorce output on grip members 406 a and 406 b by an actuator, similarlyto FIG. 11A. In some examples, the force curves of FIG. 11B result froma more poorly-matched controller system than the controller systemproviding the force curves of FIG. 11A.

A force curve 1152 indicates forces required to be output by theactuator 411 to causing a resulting force that maintains the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b at a static position in their degrees offreedom, similarly to force curve 1102 of FIG. 11A. The curve 1152 isdifferent than the curve 1102 in that it requires a different range ofoutput forces from the actuator, e.g., a smaller range, and a moreextreme force output at the closed position of the grip members (e.g.,about −1 pounds instead of about −0.8 pounds in FIG. 11A). Thus, themechanism transmitting the forces to the grip members does not spreadout the required forces into a greater portion of the range of actuatorforce output as much as the mechanism used for the force curves of FIG.11A.

A force curve 1160 indicates forces required to be output by theactuator 411 to cause a consistent resulting nominal force on the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b, similarly to force curve 1110 of FIG. 11A.Curve 1160 is less consistent than curve 1110. For example, the forcefor the open position is about 0.2 pounds, and the required force forthe closed position is about 0.4 pounds, which is a more extremedifference than in curve 1110. The mechanism used for curves 1160 and1170 does not perform consistently over the position range of the gripmembers, and requires significant compensation from the actuator.

A force curve 1170 indicates forces required to be output by theactuator 411 to cause a consistent maximum force level force on the gripmembers 406 a and 406 b that is higher than the forces for force curve1160. This is similar to force curve 1120 of FIG. 11A. Curve 1170 isless consistent than curve 1120 or curve 1160. For example, the requiredforce for the open position is less than 0.4 pounds, and the requiredforce for the closed position is about 0.7 pounds, which is a moreextreme difference than in curve 1120. The mechanism used for curve 1170does not perform as consistently over the position range of the gripmembers as the mechanism used for curve 1120, requiring morecompensation from the actuator.

In some implementations, the mechanism used to determine the forcecurves 1152, 1160, and 1170 can be considered more poorly executed thanthe mechanism used to determine the force curves of FIG. 11A. In apoorly-executed system, for example, the force on the grips may drop offas the user closes the grips or the force output may otherwise acterratically, resulting in a controller that may feel uncontrollable andunnatural. In some examples, the controller used for FIG. 11B can differfrom the controller used for FIG. 11A by having one or more differentlengths for grip members 406 a or 406 b, one or more different lengthsfor intermediate link members 714, different spring properties forspring 708, different location of the rotational couplings between thegrip members 406 and the link members 714, etc.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an example implementation of acontroller portion 1200 including a crank arm transmission providing alinear force output from a rotary actuator. For example, a mastercontroller handle 1201 can be similar to the master controller handle402 described above with respect to FIGS. 4-7B, or a different handlecan be used. Handle 1201 and controller portion 1200 can include one ormore of the features described for handle 402 and other implementationsdescribed herein.

Controller portion 1200 can include a main shaft 1202 connected to anddriving grip members 1204 a and 1204 b similarly to correspondingcomponents in the implementations described above for FIGS. 4-7B. Insome implementations, an actuator 1206 can be coupled to a pulley 1208by a belt 1209 to provide rotation of the controller handle 1201similarly as described above with reference to FIG. 6.

Main shaft 1202 can be connected to the crank arm transmission thatincludes a rail piece 1210, linkage 1216, and crank 1224. The main shaft1202 is decoupled in rotation to the carriage piece 1210 so that theshaft can rotate about axis 1212 (e.g., longitudinal axis of main shaft1202) independently of the carriage piece 1210 and is linearly coupledto the carriage piece 1210 along the lengthwise axis 1212. In someimplementations, the carriage piece 1210 can be constrained linearlyalong or parallel to the axis 1212 of the main shaft 1202 by a slot onthe bottom of the carriage piece 1210 that engages a guide rail 1214that is coupled to the link 1215, similarly as described above for themoving portion of the voice coil actuator 411 of FIGS. 4-6. A linkage1216 includes a first link 1218 that is rigidly coupled to the carriagepiece 1210 at a first end of the first link 1218, and a second link 1220that is coupled at a first end to a second end of the first link 1218 ata coupling 1222. A second end of second link 1220 is coupled to a firstend of a crank 1224 by a rotational coupling 1225. A second end of crank1224 is rigidly coupled to the rotating shaft of a rotary actuator 1226,where the rotating shaft of actuator 1226 can be perpendicular to theshaft 1212 of the main shaft 1202. For example, actuator 1226 can be anactive actuator in some implementations, e.g., a motor.

The actuator 1226 can output a force on its rotatable shaft to providerotary force on and motion of the crank 1224. The force on and motion ofthe crank 1224 causes motion in second link 1220, which causes firstlink 1218 to move linearly due to the rail 1214 engaged by the carriagepiece 1210. The linear motion of first link 1218 and carriage piece 1210provides linear force on and motion of the main shaft 1202, causingforce on and/or motion of the grip members 1204 a and 1204 b.

The described mechanism can convert the rotary force output of theactuator 1226 to linear force by mirroring the mechanism used for thegrip members 1204 a and 1204 b. For example, the first link 1218, secondlink 1220, and crank 1224 can have rotary couplings that are spacedrelative to each other proportionally the same distance as the distancebetween rotational couplings between the main shaft 1202, anintermediate link (similar to the intermediate links 714 a or 714 bshown in FIGS. 7A-7B), and a grip member 1204 a or 1204 b, respectively.For example, the crank 1224 can mirror a grip member 1204 a or 1204 band can rotate about the actuator shaft similarly to a grip member 1204a or 1204 b rotating at the coupling 1205 a or 1205 b, respectively. Thefirst link 1218 can mirror the main shaft 1202 and the second link 1220can mirror an intermediate link connecting the main shaft 1202 and agrip member 1204 a or 1204 b (e.g., similar to intermediate link 714 aor 714 b). The mirrored mechanism allows the actuator 1226 to provideforce at the grip members 1204 a and 1204 b in a linear relationship.This removes or reduces a need for compensation of actuator output withdifferent output forces at different grip member positions to maintain aconsistent force at the grip members 1204 a and 1204 b as describedabove for FIGS. 11A and 11B.

Actuators 1206 and/or 1226 can be any of a variety of types of actuatorssimilarly as described herein for other implementations. For example,active actuators can be used, e.g., motors (e.g., DC motors), voicecoils, or other types of active actuators. Passive actuators (e.g.,springs, brakes, etc.) can be used in some implementations to provideresistance in particular directions of the grip members, in rotation ofthe handle 1201 about axis 1212, etc.

Similarly as described in the other implementations herein, one or moresensors can be coupled to the handle 1201 and/or other components of thecontroller portion 1200 and can detect the positions of the grip members1204 a and 1204 b. For example, in some implementations, a rotaryencoder can be included in the housing of actuator 1226 to detectrotation of the shaft of actuator 1226. In some implementations, alinear sensor can be coupled to the link 1215 to sense linear motion ofthe carriage piece 1210 or link 1218. Similarly, one or more sensors canbe coupled to one or more components of the controller portion 1200 andcan detect the roll position of the handle 1201 about axis 1212. Forexample, in some implementations, a rotary encoder can be included inthe housing for actuator 1206 to detect rotation of the shaft ofactuator 1206. The sensors can send signals describing sensed positionsor motion to one or more control circuits of the teleoperated system100. In some modes or implementations, the control circuits can providecontrol signals indicating sensed positions or motion to the slavemanipulator device 104. The sensors can be any of a variety of types ofsensors, e.g., a magnetic sensor (e.g., magnetic incremental linearposition sensor, Hall Effect sensor, etc.), optical sensor, encoder,resistance sensor, etc.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an example implementation of acontroller portion 1300 including a ballscrew transmission coupled to arotary actuator. In this example, a master controller handle 1301 can besimilar to the master controller handle 402 described above with respectto FIGS. 4-7B, or a different handle can be used. Handle 1301 andcontroller portion 1300 can include one or more of the featuresdescribed for handle 402 and other implementations described herein.

Controller portion 1300 can include a main shaft 1302 connected to anddriving grip members 1304 a and 1304 b similarly to correspondingcomponents in the implementations described above for FIGS. 4-7B. Insome implementations, an actuator 1306 can be coupled to a pulley 1308by a belt 1309 to provide rotation of the controller handle 1301similarly as described above with reference to FIG. 6.

Main shaft 1302 can be connected to a ballscrew transmission, includinga ballscrew nut 1310 and a ballscrew 1316. The main shaft 1302 islinearly coupled to the ballscrew nut 1310 along the lengthwise axis1312 and is decoupled in rotation to the ballscrew nut 1310 so that theshaft 1302 can rotate about axis 1312 independently of the ballscrew nut1310. In some implementations, the ballscrew nut 1310 can be constrainedin its movement linearly along or parallel to the axis 1312 of the mainshaft 1302 by a slot on the bottom of the ballscrew nut 1310 thatengages a guide rail 1314 that is coupled to the link 1315, similarly asdescribed above for the moving portion of the voice coil actuator 411 ofFIGS. 4-6 and guide rail 1214 of FIG. 12. Ballscrew 1316 is a threadedmember that engages a threaded aperture of ballscrew nut 1310. Theballscrew 1316 is rigidly coupled at its other end to the rotating shaftof a rotary actuator 1320.

The actuator 1320 can output a force on its rotatable shaft to cause theballscrew 1316 to rotate. The rotation of the ballscrew 1316 causes theballscrew nut 1310 to move linearly along the linear axis 1312 (e.g.,longitudinal axis of the ballscrew 1316 and main shaft 1302) asconstrained by rail 1314. The linear motion of the ballscrew nut 1310moves the main shaft 1302 linearly, causing rotational force on the gripmembers 1304 a and 1304 b. The ballscrew transmission thus convertsrotary force from rotary actuator 1320 to linear force applied to themain shaft 1302. In some implementations, actuator 1320 can be coupledto a sensor such as a rotary encoder 1330 that determines a rotationalposition of the actuator shaft and main shaft 1302.

Actuators 1306 and/or 1320 can be any of a variety of types of actuatorssimilarly as described herein for other implementations. For example,active actuators can be used, e.g., motors (e.g., DC motors), voicecoils, or other types of active actuators. Passive actuators (e.g.,springs, brakes, etc.) can be used in some implementations to provideresistance in particular directions of the grip members, in rotation ofthe handle 1301 about axis 1312, etc.

Similarly as described in the other implementations herein, one or moresensors can be coupled to the handle 1301 and/or other components of thecontroller portion 1300 and can detect the positions of the grip members1304 a and 1304 b. For example, in some implementations, in addition toor instead of rotary encoder 1330, a linear sensor can be coupled to thelink 1315 to sense linear motion of the ballscrew nut 1310. Similarly,one or more sensors can be coupled to one or more components of thecontroller portion 1300 and can detect the roll position of the handle1301 about axis 1312. For example, in some implementations, a rotaryencoder can be included in the housing for actuator 1306 to detectrotation of the shaft of actuator 1306. The sensors can send signalsdescribing sensed positions or motion to one or more control circuits ofthe teleoperated system 100. In some modes or implementations, thecontrol circuits can provide control signals indicating sensed positionsor motion to the slave manipulator device 104. The sensors can be any ofa variety of types of sensors, e.g., a magnetic sensor (e.g., magneticincremental linear position sensor, Hall Effect sensor, etc.), opticalsensor, encoder, resistance sensor, etc.

FIG. 14A is a side elevational view of an example implementation of acontroller portion 1400 including a cam mechanism to provide forces oncontroller grips. In some implementations, the main shaft of thecontroller portion 1400 need not be moved or biased linearly along itslengthwise axis to provide force on the grip members of the handle, andis instead rotated to provide forces on the grip members. Controllerportion 1400 can include one or more of the features and componentsdescribed for handle 402 and other implementations described herein.

A main shaft 1402 can be coupled to an actuator (not shown) that rotatesthe shaft 1402 about its longitudinal axis 1404. For example, the mainshaft 1402 can be rotated by a rotary actuator similarly to actuator1320 of FIG. 13. In some implementations, an actuator that rotates themain shaft 1402 can be positioned directly in-line with the main shaft1402, e.g., such that the rotated shaft of the actuator is aligned withaxis 1404. The main shaft 1402 can be rotated by actuators in otherconfigurations in other implementations, e.g., as described in variousimplementations herein.

Main shaft 1402 extends through a central portion 1406 of the handle1400 and can be coupled to the front of the handle such that it isrotatable about axis 1404. The shaft 1402 is rigidly coupled to a cam1408. Grip members 1410 a and 1410 b are coupled to the central portion1406 at rotary couplings 1412 a and 1412 b, respectively. In someimplementations, finger loops 1414 a and 1414 b can be attached to thegrip members, e.g., to assist securing a user's fingers to the gripmembers when in use. Any of the implementations described herein can usesimilar finger loops for their grip members.

Grip members 1410 a and 1410 b are coupled to rollers 1418 a and 1418 b,respectively, which each rotate about their own lengthwise axesindependently of the grip members. The rollers 1418 a and 1418 b contactthe surface of the cam 1408, and a spring 1416 can be included to biasthe rollers 1418 a and 1418 b against the cam surface as the cam isrotated. In the example of FIG. 14A, spring 1416 is shown as a helicalspring that is coupled between the grip member 1410 a and the gripmember 1410 b, and the spring is in tension in the position shown inFIG. 14A to bias the group members 1410 a and 1410 b against the surfaceof the cam 1408. In other implementations, other types of springs can beused for spring 1416, and/or the spring 1416 can be placed in differentlocations of the controller portion 1400. For example, one or more flatsprings, leaf springs, or other types of springs can be used, e.g.,coupled between the group members 1410 a and 1410 b or between eachgroup member and the central portion 1406.

FIG. 14B is a perspective view of an example cam mechanism including cam1408 and rollers 1418 a and 1418 b that can be used in an implementationdescribed in FIG. 14A. Cam 1408 includes an outer surface includingportions 1420 a and 1420 b having continuously different radii centeredon the axis 1404 of rotation. As the cam 1408 rotates, the spring forcefrom spring 1416 biases the rollers 1418 against the surface of the cam1408, and the rollers 1418 a and 1418 b are moved further or closer tothe axis 1404 depending on the particular portions of the cam surfacethat are contacting rollers 1418 a and 1418 b (e.g., depending on theangular position of the cam about axis 1404) and depending on thedirection of rotation of the cam 1408. For example, if the cam 1408 isrotated in direction 1422 from the position shown, the roller 1418 a andgrip member 1410 a are allowed to rotate about coupling 1412 a closer tothe axis 1404, since the cam surface 1420 a curves closer to the axis1404 as the cam is rotated. Similarly, the roller 1418 b and grip member1418 b are allowed to rotate about coupling 1412 b closer to the axis1404 as cam surface 1420 b curves closer to the axis 1404.

Referring to FIG. 14A, forces can be output in the rotary degrees offreedom of the grip members 1410 a and 1410 b by rotating the cam 1408.Handle implementation 1400 therefore does not translate the main shaft1402 to provide forces to the grip members. In some implementations, alinear actuator and a transmission providing linear forces need not beused, and a rotary actuator can directly drive the main shaft 1402 orcan drive the main shaft 1402 via a transmission mechanism.

Some implementations can also provide a second actuator to rotate thehandle 1400 about the axis 1404, e.g., rotate the grip members 1410 aand 1410 b and the handle body 1406, similarly to actuators 414, 1206,or 1306 in the above implementations. In such examples, cam 1408 canalso be rotated with the other portions of the handle 1400. In someimplementations, such a second actuator can be positioned on the sameaxis as the first actuator providing rotation of cam 1408 that providesforces on grip members 1410 a and 1410 b. For example, the main shaft1402 can be driven by the first actuator and positioned within a hollowshaft 1426 that is coupled to the handle body 1406 and to the rotatingshaft of the second actuator.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an example implementation of acontroller portion 1500 including a capstan mechanism to transmit forcefrom an actuator. In some implementations, a master controller handle1502 of the controller portion 1500 can be similar to the mastercontroller handle 402 described above with respect to FIGS. 4-7B, or adifferent handle can be used. Handle 1502 and controller portion 1500can include one or more of the features described for controller portion400 and other controller implementations described herein.

Controller portion 1500 can include a main shaft 1504 connected to anddriving grip members 1506 a and 1506 b, similarly to correspondingcomponents in the implementations described above for FIGS. 4-7B. Insome implementations, an actuator 1508 (e.g., motor) can be rigidlymounted to the link 1511 and can be used to drive rotation of the handle1502 similarly to actuator 414 of FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 15, actuator1508 can be oriented such that its rotating shaft rotates about an axisthat is oriented perpendicular (90 degrees) to the longitudinal axis1510 of the main shaft 1504, as described in greater detail below. Inother implementations, actuator 1508 can be implemented and orientedsimilarly to actuator 414, e.g., such that its rotating shaft rotatesabout an axis that is parallel to the axis 1510 and, for example, itsshaft is connected to a pulley by a belt to provide rotation of thecontroller handle 1502 similarly as described above with reference toFIG. 6.

An actuator 1512 can be provided to drive linear motion of the mainshaft 1502 along axis 1510. In some implementations, actuator 1512 canbe a rotary DC gear motor or other type of rotary actuator. In theimplementation of FIG. 15, similarly to actuator 1508, actuator 1512 canbe rigidly mounted to the link 1511 and oriented such that its rotatingshaft rotates about an axis that is oriented perpendicular (90 degrees)to the axis 1510. Actuator 1512 can be oriented in other ways in otherimplementations.

Main shaft 1504 can be connected to a capstan mechanism 1516 providedbetween the main shaft 1504 and the actuator 1512. The capstan mechanism1516 includes a linear carriage 1518 that is coupled to the main shaft1504. The main shaft 1504 is decoupled in rotation from the linearcarriage 1518 such that the main shaft can be rotated independently ofthe linear carriage 1518. The linear carriage 1518 can move linearly,e.g., slide, upon a linear rail 1520 that is rigidly coupled to the link1511. The linear rail 1520 is aligned parallel to the main shaft toallow linear motion of the linear carriage 1518.

The capstan mechanism 1516 also includes a capstan drum 1522 havinghelical grooves, and which is rigidly coupled to the rotating shaft ofactuator 1512. The capstan drum 1522 is coupled to the linear carriage1518 by a cable 1524. For example, cable 1524 can be a high-stiffnessmetal cable in some implementations. A first end of cable 1524 can beattached to a groove (or via some other fastening mechanism) at a firstportion of the linear carriage 1518, e.g., the end or a portion of thecarriage 1518 that is closest to the handle 1502. The cable 1524 iswrapped a number of times around the capstan drum 1522, e.g., within thegrooves of the capstan drum. The second end of the cable 1524 can beattached at a second portion of the linear carriage 1518, e.g., the endor a portion of the carriage 1518 that is further from the handle 1502than the first portion of the carriage. In the example shown, the secondend of the cable 1524 is attached to a nut 1526 on a threaded screwcoupled at the second portion of the linear carriage 1518, where the nut1526 and second end of the cable 1524 can be moved closer or furtherfrom the carriage 1518 along the screw to adjust the tension in thecable. Other mechanisms can be used to tension the cable in otherimplementations.

The driven rotation of the shaft of the actuator 1512 directly drivesthe constrained linear motion of the linear carriage 1518 and the mainshaft 1504 via the cable 1524, thus causing forces on the grip members1506 a and 1506 b to bias them toward open and closed positions inaccordance with the linear motion of the main shaft 1504, similarly asdescribed in other implementations herein. In some implementations, abenefit of the capstan mechanism is that it can provide ahigh-stiffness, low-backlash transmission for active forces on the gripmembers 1506 a and 1506 b and handle 1502 while allowing the actuator(s)to be mounted 90-degrees to the main shaft 1504. This can reduce thepackaging size, mass, and inertia of the controller portion 1500.

Actuators 1508 and/or 1512 can be any of a variety of types of actuatorssimilarly as described herein for the other implementations. Forexample, these actuators can be active actuators, e.g., motors (e.g., DCmotors), voice coils, or other types of active actuators. Passiveactuators (e.g., springs, brakes, etc.) can be used in someimplementations to provide resistance in particular directions of thegrip members, in rotation of the handle 1500 about axis 1510, etc.

Similarly as described in the other implementations herein, one or moresensors can be coupled to the handle 1502 and/or other components of thecontroller portion 1500 and can detect the positions of the grip members1506 a and 1506 b. For example, in some implementations, a rotaryencoder can be included in the housing of actuator 1512 to detectrotation of the shaft of actuator 1512. In some implementations, alinear sensor can be coupled to the link 1511 to sense linear motion ofthe linear carriage 1518 (e.g., secondary sensor 1610 of FIG. 16B).Similarly, one or more sensors can be coupled to one or more componentsof the controller portion 1500 and can detect the roll position of thehandle 1502 about axis 1510. For example, in some implementations, arotary encoder can be included in the housing for actuator 1508 todetect rotation of the shaft of actuator 1508. The sensors can sendsignals describing sensed positions or motion to one or more controlcircuits of the teleoperated system 100. In some modes orimplementations, the control circuits can provide control signals to theslave manipulator device 104. The sensors can be any of a variety oftypes of sensors, e.g., a magnetic sensor (e.g., magnetic incrementallinear position sensor, Hall Effect sensor, etc.), optical sensor,encoder, resistance sensor, etc.

In some implementations, transmission mechanisms other than the capstanmechanism 1516 can be used. For example, a rack and pinion mechanism canbe used, where a pinion gear can be used instead of the capstan drum1522 and a rack gear can be provided on the linear carriage 1518 toengage the pinion gear. In another example, a drive wheel can be usedinstead of the capstan drum 1522, e.g., using friction to couple orengage the drive wheel to a linear surface of the linear carriage 1518and move or force the carriage linearly when the drive wheel is rotated.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are side elevational views of the controller portion1500 of FIG. 15, where FIG. 16A shows one side of the controller portion1500 and FIG. 16B shows the opposite side.

In FIG. 16A, the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b are in an open position,e.g., the grip members are at a position in which their disconnectedends are furthest away from each other as allowed by the coupledmechanism. To cause this position from a position in which the links arecloser to each other, the actuator 1512 causes a force in the direction1602 away from the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b. For example, thecapstan drum 1522 coupled to the actuator 1512 can be rotated in arotational direction to move cable 1524 and cause forces on linearcarriage 1518 that cause it to move in the direction 1602. Linearcarriage 1518 is coupled to the main shaft 1504 and causes the mainshaft 1504 to move in the same direction, thus transmitting force to thegrip members 1506 a and 1506 b in directions toward their openpositions. Similarly, the capstan drum 1522 can be rotated in theopposite rotational direction to move cable 1524 in the oppositedirection and cause forces on linear carriage 1518 in the directionopposite to direction 1602, causing the main shaft 1504 to move andtransmit force to the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b in directionstoward their closed positions.

In FIG. 16B, actuator 1508 has a rotary shaft that is rigidly coupled toa roll bevel pinion 1606. The roll bevel pinion 1606 includes a numberof teeth that engage a number of grooves/teeth of a roll gear (ring)1530 (shown in FIG. 15). Rotation of the roll bevel pinion 1606 aboutthe axis of rotation of the actuator shaft causes rotation of the rollbevel pinion 1606 about axis 1510 of the controller portion 1500. Thiscauses rotational forces to the handle 1502, e.g., can cause the handle1502 to rotate about axis 1510. The roll bevel pinion 1606 and roll gear1530 thus can provide rotational forces to the handle 1502 similarly tothe actuator 414, belt 620, and pulley 622 described with reference toFIGS. 4-6.

A sensor 1610 can be provided to sense linear motion of the linearcarriage 1518 and main shaft 1504 along the axis 1510. In someimplementations, sensor 1610 can be included in addition to a sensor(e.g., rotary encoder) 1612 that can sense the rotation of the shaft ofactuator 1512 and capstan drum 1522 to thereby sense linear motion ofthe main shaft 1504.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are side elevational, cross-sectional views of theinterior of controller portion 1500 of FIG. 15 and show differentpositions of the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b.

FIG. 17A shows an open position of the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b.Main shaft 1504 is coupled to linear carriage 1518 such that when linearcarriage 1518 moves linearly parallel to axis 1510, the main shaft 1504is moved correspondingly along axis 1510. The main shaft 1504 isdecoupled in rotation from the linear carriage 1518 such that the mainshaft can be rotated independently of the linear carriage 1518. Forexample, one or more couplings 1702 (e.g., bearings) can couple the mainshaft 1504 to the linear carriage 1518 along the linear directions ofaxis 1510, and can decouple the main shaft 1504 and linear carriage 1518in the rotational directions around axis 1510 so that the main shaft1504 can continuously rotate independently of the linear carriage 1518.

Roll bevel pinion 1606 is coupled to the rotating shaft of actuator1508. The roll bevel pinion 1606 is engaged with roll gear 1530 to causerotary forces about axis 1510 to the handle 1502. For example, the rollgear 1530 can be rigidly coupled to a member including a plate 1704(similar to plate 430 shown in FIG. 4), where the member and plate arerigidly coupled to the central portion 1706 of the handle 1502 androtate with the handle 1502. Thus, the roll gear 1530 can transmitrotational forces to the handle 1502 around axis 1510.

FIG. 17B shows a closed position of the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b.Linear carriage 1518 has been moved by actuator 1512 in a direction 1710to linearly move the main shaft 1504 along the axis 1510 toward thehandle 1502. In accordance with the movement of the main shaft 1504, thegrip members 1506 a and 1506 b have been moved to a closed position bythe linkages in handle 1502, which can be similar and operate similarlyto the linkages shown in handle 402 in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

Other components and alternative implementations described herein forother implementations can also be used in the controller portion 1500.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an example implementation of acontroller portion 1800 including a capstan mechanism to transmit forcefrom an actuator. Controller portion 1800 can include several componentswhich operate similarly to corresponding components of the controllerportion 1500, some of which are labelled in FIGS. 18-20B with the samereference numbers as shown in FIGS. 15-17B. Some differently-numberedcomponents can also operate similarly to corresponding components of thecontroller portion 1500 described above.

Controller portion 1800 can include a main shaft 1804 connected to anddriving grip members 1506 a and 1506 b, similarly to correspondingcomponents in the implementations described above for FIGS. 4-7B andFIG. 15. In some implementations, actuator 1508 (e.g., motor) can berigidly mounted to the link 1511 and can be used to drive rotation ofthe handle 1502. As shown in the implementation of FIG. 18, actuator1508 can be oriented such that its rotating shaft rotates gear 1806about an axis that is oriented perpendicular (90 degrees) to thelongitudinal axis 1510 of the main shaft 1504, to engage roll gear(ring) 1530 and cause roll gear 1530 to rotate.

In the implementation of FIG. 18, actuator 1512 can be rigidly mountedto the link 1511 and is positioned such that the axis of rotation of theshaft of actuator 1512 is approximately perpendicular to longitudinalaxis 1510. In some implementations, the axis of actuator 1512 can bepositioned close to the linear rail 1904 (see FIG. 19B) to reduce forceand friction on the rail 1904. In some implementations, the axis ofrotation of the shaft of actuator 1512 extends such that it ispositioned closer to axis 1510 (and/or closer to the center of thecontroller portion 1800) than the rotary axis of actuator 1512 shown inFIG. 15. Actuator 1512 in the configuration of FIG. 18 may thus provideless inertia to the rotation of the handle 1502 than in theconfiguration of FIG. 15.

Main shaft 1804 is connected to a capstan mechanism 1816 providedbetween the main shaft 1804 and the actuator 1512. The capstan mechanism1816 includes a linear carriage 1818 that is coupled to the main shaft1804 and which can move linearly, e.g., slide, upon a linear rail (seeFIG. 19B) that is rigidly coupled to the link 1511, similarly to linearcarriage 1518.

The capstan drum 1522 is coupled to the linear carriage 1818 by cable1524 that is wrapped around capstan drum 1522 as described above. Thefirst end of cable 1524 can be attached to a first portion of the linearcarriage 1818, e.g., the end or portion of the carriage 1818 that isclosest to the handle 1502. The second end of the cable 1524 can beattached at a second portion of the linear carriage 1818, e.g., the endor portion of the carriage 1818 that is further from the handle 1502than the first portion of the carriage 1818. In the example shown, thesecond end of the cable 1524 is attached to a disc 1826 coupled at thesecond portion of the linear carriage 1518, where the disc 1826 can berotated to move the second end of the cable 1524 closer or further fromthe capstan drum 1522 to adjust the tension in the cable.

The driven rotation of the shaft of the actuator 1512 directly drivesthe constrained linear motion of the linear carriage 1818 and the mainshaft 1804 via the cable 1524, thus causing forces on the grip members1506 a and 1506 b to bias them toward open and closed positions inaccordance with the linear motion of the main shaft 1504, similarly asdescribed in other implementations herein.

Actuator 1508 has a rotary shaft that is rigidly coupled to a roll bevelpinion 1806. The roll bevel pinion 1806 includes a number of teeth thatengage a number of grooves/teeth of a roll gear 1530. Rotation of theroll bevel pinion 1806 about the axis of rotation of the shaft ofactuator 1508 causes rotation of the roll bevel pinion 1806 about axis1510. This causes rotational forces to the handle 1502 similarly asdescribed above.

FIGS. 19A and 19B are side elevational views of the controller portion1800 of FIG. 18, where FIG. 19A shows one side of the controller portion1800 and FIG. 19B shows the opposite side. FIGS. 19A and 19B are similarto FIGS. 16A and 16B and some corresponding components are numbered thesame.

In FIG. 19A, the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b are in an open position,e.g., the grip members are at a position in which their disconnectedends are furthest away from each other as allowed by the coupledmechanism. To cause this position from a position in which the links arecloser to each other, the actuator 1512 causes a force on shaft 1804 inthe direction 1902 away from the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b. Forexample, the capstan drum 1522 coupled to the actuator 1512 can berotated in a rotational direction to move cable 1524 and cause forces onlinear carriage 1818 that cause it to move in the direction 1902. Linearcarriage 1818 is coupled to the main shaft 1804 and causes the mainshaft 1804 to move in the same direction, thus transmitting force to thegrip members 1506 a and 1506 b in directions toward their openpositions. Similarly, the capstan drum 1522 can be rotated in theopposite rotational direction to move cable 1524 in the oppositedirection and cause forces on linear carriage 1818 in the directionopposite to direction 1902, causing the main shaft 1804 to move andtransmit force to the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b in directionstoward their closed positions.

In FIG. 19B, the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b are in an open position.Guide rail 1904 is coupled to the link 1511, and the linear carriage1818 includes a groove piece 1906 that slides along the guide rail 1904.The components operate similarly as corresponding components inimplementations described above.

A linear sensor 1910 can be provided to sense linear motion of thelinear carriage 1818 and main shaft 1804 along the axis 1510. In someimplementations, sensor 1910 can be included in addition to a sensor(e.g., rotary encoder) 1912 that can sense the rotation of the shaft ofactuator 1512 and capstan drum 1522 to thereby sense the linear motionof the main shaft 1804.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are side elevational, cross-sectional views of theinterior of controller portion 1800 of FIG. 18 and show differentpositions of the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b.

FIG. 20A shows an open position of the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b.Main shaft 1804 is coupled to linear carriage 1818 such that when linearcarriage 1818 moves linearly parallel to axis 1510, the main shaft 1804is moved correspondingly along axis 1510. The main shaft 1804 isdecoupled in rotation from the linear carriage 1818 such that the mainshaft can be rotated independently of the linear carriage 1818. Forexample, one or more couplings 2002 (e.g., bearings) can couple the mainshaft 1804 to the linear carriage 1818 along the linear directions ofaxis 1510, and can decouple the main shaft 1804 and linear carriage 1818in the rotational directions around axis 1510.

Roll bevel pinion 1806 is engaged with roll gear 1530 to cause rotaryforces about axis 1510 to the handle 1502. For example, the roll gear1530 can be rigidly coupled to a member/plate 2008 (similar to plate1704 and 430), where the member/plate is rigidly coupled to, or is anextension of, the central portion 1706 of the handle 1502 and rotateswith the handle 1502. Thus, the roll gear 1530 can transmit rotationalforces to the handle 1502 around axis 1510.

In this example implementation, a linear bushing 2004 is positionedaround the main shaft 1804 and extends from the member 2008 toward thehandle 1502. Linear bushing 2004 guides the main shaft 1804 such that itmaintains its position along axis 1510. The bushing 2004 can provide aclearance or gap 2010 at a portion of the length of the bushing, e.g., aportion between the member/plate 2008 and a front portion of the bushing2004 that contacts the main shaft 1804. The gap 2010 allows some lateralmovement, e.g., angular tilt or play, of the rear portion of the shaft1804 at linear carriage 1818, e.g., movement having component directionsperpendicular to the axis 1510. This allowance for play can reducebinding of the main shaft 1804 against the bushing 2004, e.g., if thereis misalignment of the shaft 1804 relative to axis 1510. In someexamples, the bushing 2004 can be made of slippery material, e.g.,plastic.

In some examples, such as the implementation shown, the main shaft 1804can be made hollow to allow one or more components to be routed throughthe main shaft. For example, one or more cables can be routed throughmain shaft 1804. In some examples, cables that connect a button 440 (seeFIG. 18) to a controller positioned at the rear of the controllerportion 1800 can be routed through the main shaft 1804. In someimplementations, the main shaft 1804 can include one or more notches orapertures that allow components such as cables to be routed within thehousing of the controller portion 1800. For example, in FIG. 20A, dashedline 2012 represents a cable that can be routed from the rear portion ofthe shaft near carriage 1818, through the hollow main shaft 1804, andout of an aperture 2014 of the shaft 1804 into an interior space, inwhich the cable is coupled to an electrical contact that in turnelectrically connects to the buttons 440. For example, the cable 2012can be routed with slack or a loop as shown to allow the main shaft 1804to be moved forward and back without over-stretching the cable.

FIG. 20B shows a closed position of the grip members 1506 a and 1506 b.Linear carriage 1818 has been moved by actuator 1512 in a direction 2020to linearly move the main shaft 1504 along the axis 1510 toward thehandle 1502. In accordance with the movement of the main shaft 1804, thegrip members 1506 a and 1506 b have been moved to a closed position bythe linkages in handle 1502, which can be similar to and operatesimilarly as described above.

Other components and alternative implementations described herein forother implementations can also be used in the controller portion 1800.

FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic illustration of an example implementation of acontroller system 2100 including multiple independently-actuated grips.FIG. 21 is provided in an abstracted or schematic illustration. Themechanisms can be similar in implementation as in other examplecontroller portions described herein.

Controller system 2100 includes a first shaft 2102 coupled to a firstgrip member 2104, and a second shaft 2106 coupled to a second gripmember 2108. Grip members 2104 and 2108 can be similar to the gripmembers 406 a, 406 b, etc. described for other implementations herein.For example, the grip members 2104 and 2108 can each be rotated in arotary degree of freedom and can be coupled to their respective shaftsby an intermediate linkage. In some implementations, each grip member2104 and 2108 can be rotated in its degree of freedom independently ofthe other grip member 2108 and 2104, respectively. In this example, thefirst shaft 2102 is coupled to an intermediate link 2110 by a rotationalcoupling 2112, and the intermediate link 2110 is coupled to grip member2104 at its other end by a rotational coupling 2114. Similarly, thesecond shaft 2106 is coupled to an intermediate link 2118 by arotational coupling 2120, and the intermediate link 2118 is coupled togrip member 2108 at its other end by a rotational coupling 2122.

First shaft 2102 is coupled to a first actuator 2126 at the shaft's endopposite to the intermediate link 2110. For example, the first shaft2102 can be coupled to the first actuator 2126 by a rotary coupling 2128that couples the first shaft 2102 to the first actuator 2126 in thelinear degree of freedom along the shaft, and decouples in rotation thefirst shaft 2102 from the first actuator 2126 such that the first shaftcan be rotated independently of the first actuator 2126. In someexamples, first actuator 2126 can be a linear actuator outputting alinear force along the axis of first shaft 2102, e.g., a voice coil orother type of actuator. For example, a voice coil actuator 2126 caninclude a magnet 2130 and a coil 2132. In this example, the magnet 2128is grounded to a linear rail 2134 that constrains the motion of themagnet 2128 along a linear axis of the first shaft 2102. Actuator 2126can be similar to actuator 411 of FIGS. 4-7B. In some implementations,actuator 2126 can be a different type of actuator, e.g., a motor (e.g.,rotary actuator).

In this example, second shaft 2106 extends through a hollow interiorportion of the first shaft 2102 and extends through the first actuator2126. Second shaft 2106 is coupled to a second actuator 2140 at theshaft's end opposite to the intermediate link 2118. For example, thesecond shaft 2106 can be coupled to the second actuator 2140 by arotational coupling 2142 that couples the second shaft 2106 to thesecond actuator 2140 in the linear degree of freedom along the shaft,where the second shaft 2106 is decoupled in rotation from the secondactuator 2140 such that the second shaft can be rotated independently ofthe second actuator 2140. In some examples, second actuator 2140 can bea linear actuator outputting a linear force along the axis of secondshaft 2106, e.g., similarly to first actuator 2126 and first shaft 2102.Second actuator 2140 can be a voice coil or other type of actuatorsimilarly to the first actuator 2126. For example, a voice coil actuator2140 can include a magnet 2144 and a coil 2146. In this example, themagnet 2144 is grounded to a linear rail 2148 that constrains the motionof the magnet 2144 along a linear (e.g., longitudinal) axis of thesecond shaft 2106.

A first spring 2150 is coupled between the first shaft 2102 and a handlebody or central portion of the controller, e.g., similarly to spring 708shown in FIGS. 7A-7B. A second spring 2152 is coupled between the secondshaft 2106 and the handle body of the controller. In someimplementations, the second spring 2152 can extend within the helicaldiameter of the first spring 2150, such that the first and secondsprings are concentric along most of their lengths, e.g., centered alongthe same axis that is about parallel to the first and second shafts 2102and 2106. In some other examples, the first spring 2150 can extendwithin the helical diameter of the second spring 2152, or the first andsecond springs can be approximately parallel to each other and notconcentric.

In operation, the controller system 2100 can provide forcesindependently in the degrees of freedom of the grip members 2104 and2108. For example, first actuator 2126 can output a linear force onfirst shaft 2102, and the force can be output on intermediate link 2110,which provides the force as a rotational force in the degree of freedomof grip member 2104. Second actuator 2140 can output a linear force onsecond shaft 2106 independently of the force output of the firstactuator on first shaft 2102. The force on the second shaft can beoutput on intermediate link 2118, which provides the force as arotational force in the degree of freedom of grip member 2108. In someimplementations, a handle portion including the grip members 2104 and2108, first and second shafts 2102 and 2106, and springs 2150 and 2152can be rotated in unison in a rotary degree of freedom about the axisdefined by the first and second shafts 2102 and 2106. For example, athird actuator (not shown) can transmit forces to this handle portion inthis rotary degree of freedom, similarly to actuator 414 of FIGS. 4-6.

In some implementations, other components can be used in system 2100.For example, one or both of first actuator 2126 and second actuator 2140can be replaced by a rotary actuator and a transmission mechanism forconverting the rotary force output by the actuator to a linear forceoutput on the first shaft 2102 and/or second shaft 2106 (e.g., using animplementation as shown in FIG. 12 and/or FIG. 13).

One or more features described herein can be used with other types ofmaster controllers. For example, ungrounded master controllers can beused, which are free to move in space and disconnected from ground. Insome examples, one or more handles similar to handle 402 and/or gripmembers 406 a and 406 b can be coupled to a mechanism worn on a user'shand and which is ungrounded, allowing the user to move grips freely inspace. In some examples, the positions of the grips can be sensed by amechanism coupling the grips together and constraining their motionrelative to each other. Some implementations can use glove structuresworn by a user's hand. Furthermore, some implementations can use sensorscoupled to other structures to sense the grips within space, e.g., usingvideo cameras or other sensors that can detect motion in 3D space. Someexamples of ungrounded master controllers are described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 8,543,240 and 8,521,331, both incorporated herein by reference. Thedetection of user touch described herein can be used with ungroundedmaster controllers. For example, vibration can be applied to a handle(e.g., grip) by one or more actuators coupled to the handle, and thisvibration can be sensed similarly as described herein to determine ifthe handle is contacted or grasped by the user.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method 2200 to provideforces on a controller. Method 2200 can, for example, be used with anexample teleoperated system or other control system in which thecontroller is a master controller that controls a slave device. Forexample, in some implementations, the controller is a component of aworkstation, e.g., master control workstation 102 of FIG. 1, and method2200 can be performed by a control circuit component of the mastercontrol workstation 102. In some examples, the control circuit caninclude one or more processors, e.g., microprocessors or other controlcircuits, some examples of which are described below with reference toFIG. 23. A single master controller is referred to in method 2200 forexplanatory purposes. The master controller can be, for example, any ofthe controller implementations described herein, and/or one of mastercontroller 210 or 212 of FIG. 2. Multiple master controllers can besimilarly processed as described in method 2200, e.g., each mastercontroller 210 and 212 of FIG. 2. Other implementations can use acontroller having one or more features described herein with other typesof systems, e.g., non-teleoperated systems, a virtual environment (e.g.,medical simulation) having no physical slave device and/or no physicalsubject interacting with a physical slave device, etc.

In block 2201, some implementations can select one or more particularforce profiles for use by the control system, which designate particularforces to be output on the controller (e.g., to grip members of thecontroller based on grip member position). For example, the selection offorce profiles can be based on the type of end effector currentlycontrolled by the master controller. In some examples, multipledifferent force profiles can be available as described with reference tothe examples of FIG. 10, and each of these force profiles can beassociated with one or more types of end effectors usable with the slavedevice. The type of end effector currently connected to the slave devicecan be determined (e.g., via identifying information automatically readby the slave device or input manually by an operator) and a forceprofile associated with that type can be selected for use from storage(e.g., connected memory or storage device). The types of end effectorscan be organized in various ways in different implementations. Forexample, types can be based on specific models of end effectors, whereeach difference in physical dimensions and/or operation of an endeffector is defined as a different type (e.g., each particular model offorceps can be considered a different type). Alternatively, multiple endeffector models can be grouped into one or more types, e.g., multiplemodels of forceps can be grouped into a single type despite the modelshaving some physical differences. In some implementations, end effectortypes can be defined more broadly and a single type can include endeffectors having similar operation. For example, grasping end effectorshaving jaws can be defined as an end effector type.

In some implementations, the selected force profile can be a set offorce profiles, where one of the force profiles of the set is selectedfor use based on a current mode or other condition of operation of theteleoperated system or controller. For example, one profile in the setcan be designated for use during non-controlling mode of theteleoperated system, and a different profile of the set can bedesignated for use during controlling mode of the teleoperated system.In some implementations in which multiple master controllers areprovided for controlling multiple slave device end effectors (e.g., asin master control workstation 102 of FIG. 2), each master controller canbe assigned its own force profile (or set of force profiles) based onthe end effector it controls.

In block 2202, a non-controlling mode of the control system (e.g.,teleoperated system 100) is activated. The non-controlling mode can alsobe considered a “safe mode” in which the master controller is notenabled to provide control signals to move a controlled device such asslave device 104, even if the master controller is manipulated by theuser. Thus, for example, the controlled device is disconnected from themaster controller for non-controlling mode, e.g., the controlled deviceis not being controlled by the master controller. For example, themaster controllers 210 and 212 can be manipulated by a user innon-controlling mode but will not cause any controlled motion of thecomponents of the manipulator slave device 104.

In block 2204, information is received describing a current position ofone or more end effectors that can be controlled by the control system.In some implementations, this information can be received by a mastercontroller system (e.g., master control workstation) from the slavedevice. The information can be derived from sensor information sensed byposition sensors of the slave device and relayed to the mastercontroller.

In some examples, the end effector can include one or more instruments,such as the surgical instrument 900 shown in FIG. 9 which is coupled toone or more arms of a slave arm device. For example, the slave armjoints and position can be controlled by the master controller. Inaddition, one or more components or portions of the instruments can becontrolled by the master controller. For example, the jaws or pincherelements of forceps, scissors, graspers, dissectors, clamps, sealers,shears, staplers, clip appliers, needle drivers, and other instrumentscan be controlled by the master controller as described above withrespect to FIG. 9. The information received in block 2204 can describe,for example, the positions of such jaws in their degrees of freedom(e.g., as angular information), and/or can describe the positions of thejaws relative to each other. In some implementations, the informationcan describe the current position of other types end effector (e.g., oneor more components or portions of an instrument), e.g., such as portionsof a retractor, cautery hook, spatula, or other component in a rotarydegree of freedom of the end effector, a position in a linear degree offreedom, etc.

In block 2206, one or more of the grip members of the master controllerare matched to the position of the end effector (or the grip members areotherwise positioned based on the end effector). For example, a controlcircuit coupled to the master controller can control one or moreactuators to move the grip members to a position that corresponds to theposition of one or more components of the end effector. In someimplementations, the grip members can be moved to positions in theirdegrees of freedom that correspond to the current positions ofassociated components of the end effector in their degree of freedom.For example, each of two jaws of a forceps or similar surgicalinstrument can be associated with one of the grip members, and a gripmember can be positioned within its degree of freedom to a position thatis proportional to a position that the associated jaw is positionedwithin its degree of freedom. In one example, a jaw may have a positionthat is spaced away from one limit of the movement range by an angularamount that is 20% of the entire angular movement range of the jaw, andthe associated grip member can be similarly positioned at a positionthat is 20% of its movement range away from a corresponding limit of itsmovement range. In another example, a clip applier instrument may bespaced so that the jaws of the clip applier are open and holding a clip,and the associated grip members can be similarly positioned to an openposition in the degrees of freedom of the grip members.

In another example of positioning one or more of the grip members basedon the end effector, one or more of the grip members of the mastercontroller can be constrained or held to a single position if the endeffector has a single moveable components or no moveable components. Forexample, each inactive grip member can be moved to a closed position ofthe grip member and maintained at that closed position while theassociated end effector is being controlled. In some implementations,one grip member can be operated to control a component of the endeffector such that it can be moved within its rotary degree of freedomwithin a designated movement range, receive forces from the actuator fora force profile, etc., while the other grip member is constrained, e.g.,held to a closed position. For example, some end effectors such as astapler instrument may have components that can be controlled with onemoveable grip member. In some implementations, the positioning of thegrip members in non-controlling mode can be determined based on a forceprofile selected in block 2201.

The alignment of position of the end effector and the controller gripmembers can allow the grip members to be controlled more accurately whena user first contacts the grip members. For example, if an instrument'sjaws are in a fully open position but the grip members are in ahalf-closed position, then the full movement range of the grip membersis not available. The grip members can therefore be fully opened tomatch the jaws of the end effector.

In block 2208, it is determined whether a controlling mode (e.g.,“following mode”) has been entered or activated by the control system.The controlling mode allows the master controller to control themovements of the slave device. For example, motion of grip members ofthe master controller can control corresponding motion of jaws of asurgical instrument of the slave device, and/or motion of the mastercontroller in other degrees of freedom can control corresponding motionsof the surgical instrument in space.

The activation of controlling mode can be initiated based on any of avariety of conditions. For example, some implementations can initiatethe controlling mode in response to detecting the presence of a user ator near the master controller. For example, presence sensor 214 on themaster control workstation 102, as described with respect to FIG. 2, cansense whether the head of a user has been detected in an operatingposition for the master controllers 210 and 212, such as in a viewingrecess 211 of master control workstation 102. In some implementations,other sensors can be used to sense user presence. Some implementationscan detect whether the user has grasped or otherwise contacted themaster controller grip members, e.g., via contact sensors, opticalsensors, motion sensors, sensing a change in an output force orvibration applied on the master controller, etc.

If controlling mode has not been entered, then the method returns toblock 2206 to continue to match the position of the grip members to theend effector position. If controlling mode has been entered asdetermined in block 2208, then the method continues to block 2210, inwhich forces are applied to the grip members of the master controllerduring operation of the master controller to control the slave device.The forces can be output in the degrees of freedom of the grip membersfrom one or more actuators as described in various implementationsherein.

For example, the forces applied to the grip members can be based on oneor more force profiles that indicate the force applied for each positionof the grip members. For example, a force profiles selected in block2201 can be used to provide particular forces for a particular type ofend effector being controlled on the slave device, as described above.

In some implementations, the forces applied to the grip members can bebased on one or more of a variety of states or conditions during thesystem operation. In some examples, if a controlled end effectorencounters a physical object or surface, sensors of the slave device canrelay this condition to the master control system, which then controlsforces on the grip members to simulate or alert the user of the physicalobject or surface. For example, if jaws of the end effector pick or holdan object, forces can be output on the grip members at positionscorresponding to the size of the held object in the movement range ofthe instrument jaws, making the grip members harder to close pastcorresponding positions. In another example, a vibration can be outputon the grip members for a particular amount of time and withsufficiently high frequency to simulate the feel of a hard surface atparticular positions of the grip members. Such a vibration can impart asensation of initially impacting a hard surface.

The forces output on the grip members can be coordinated with conditionsoccurring within a simulation, e.g., a virtual environment created andresponding to input provided by the master controller. For example, asimulation of a medical procedure (or other procedure) may allow themaster controller to provide control signals to control a physical endeffector within a virtual environment, e.g., a virtual operating site orvirtual patient. The virtual environment can be displayed to the user onone or more display screens or other display devices, for example, whichmay also show the physical slave device in that environment (e.g., basedon a camera capturing images of the physical slave device). If thephysical end effector is determined by the simulation to interact with avirtual obstruction (e.g., a portion of a virtual patient), then forcescan be controlled by the master control system to be output on the gripmembers to simulate interaction with a real environment. For example, avirtual object held by the physical instrument can provide forces on thegrip members similarly as a physical object would, as described above.In another example, a simulation of a procedure may allow the mastercontroller to provide control signals to control a virtual slave devicewithin a virtual environment, e.g., a virtual slave device having avirtual end effector that interacts with a virtual operating site orvirtual patient. The virtual slave device and environment can bedisplayed to the user on one or more display screens or other displaydevices, for example. Forces can be output on the grip members similarlyas described above based on interaction of the virtual end effector withvirtual objects or surfaces.

Some implementations can indicate to the user via forces output on thegrip members of the master controller that the control system hasactivated a different mode of operation, e.g., the forces can indicate achange in the operating mode. Modes of operation can include thecontrolling mode and non-controlling mode described herein. In someimplementations, additional modes of operation can be provided for ateleoperated system or other control system, and these modes can beindicated by different characteristics of force sensations such asvibrations, bumps (single force pulses), springs (increasing force in adirection of movement), etc. For example, a particular mode can providecontrol of a camera of the slave device 104 to the master controllerinstead of control of an end effector, or provide control over otherslave device functions or master controller functions.

Various other conditions can cause force output on the grip members (andin other degrees of freedom of the master controller), e.g., alertforces to alert the user of a particular event or condition, forces tocause the user to provide a particular control signal (e.g., aresistance, when overcome, causes a selection of a user interfaceelement or option in a displayed user interface), etc.

In block 2212, it is checked whether the control system exits thecontrolling mode. For example, controlling mode can be exited inresponse to the user physically leaving a position to use the mastercontroller (e.g., the user's head or hand no longer sensed in proximityto the controller or controller workstation). In other examples,controlling mode can be exited in response to the procedure beingcompleted, user input (e.g., the user selecting an input device ordisplayed element in a user interface, voice command, etc.), a conditionin the procedure (e.g., an unsafe movement or position of the slavedevice occurs), etc.

If the control system has not exited the controlling mode, the methodreturns to block 2210 to continue outputting forces during the operationof the teleoperated system. If the control system has exited thecontrolling mode, the method returns to block 2202 to activatenon-controlling mode.

Some implementations of method 2200 can output forces on the mastercontroller, such as on the grip members of the controller, innon-controlling mode. For example, the master controller may be able tobe used in a graphical interface control mode that is a non-controllingmode, where the master controller movement in one or more degrees offreedom can interface with elements of a user interface displayed on adisplay. In some implementations, forces can be output on the gripmembers to assist a user in interacting with displayed interfaceelements. For example, a pinching motion of the grip members can be usedto control a zoom level of a view displayed by a display screen, andforces can be output on the grip members to indicate particular zoomlevels (e.g., a force “bump” output at each different zoom level).Forces can also be used to indicate a limit to adjustment of a graphicalelement or parameter. For example, a ramping force similar to forceprofile 1040 of FIG. 10 can be output at or near a position in the gripmembers' degrees of freedom that correspond to a maximum parameter valuein a graphical interface that can be set by controlling the grip members(e.g., a maximum or minimum zoom level, maximum scroll position of amenu, etc.).

In various implementations, forces output on the grip members can bedisabled during a procedure, e.g., for safety reasons, to allow aparticular form of control to the user, or for other reasons. All forcescan be disabled to the grip members, and/or particular forces can bedisabled, such as forces based on designated interactions of the slavedevice in the procedure (e.g., forces from objects held by controlledinstruments, etc.).

The blocks described in the methods disclosed herein can be performed ina different order than shown and/or simultaneously (partially orcompletely) with other blocks, where appropriate. Some blocks can beperformed for one portion of data and later performed again, e.g., foranother portion of data. Not all of the described blocks need beperformed in various implementations. In some implementations, blockscan be performed multiple times, in a different order, and/or atdifferent times in the methods.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of an example master-slave system 2300 whichcan be used with one or more features described herein. System 2300includes a master device 2302 that a user may manipulate in order tocontrol a slave device 2304 in communication with the master device2302. In some implementations, master device 2302 can be, or can beincluded in, master control workstation 102 of FIG. 1. More generally,master device 2302 can be any type of device providing a mastercontroller that can be physically manipulated by a user. Master device2302 generates control signals C1 to Cx indicating positions, states,and/or changes of one or more master controllers in their degrees offreedom. The master device 2302 can also generate control signals (notshown) indicating selection of physical buttons and other manipulationsby the user.

A control system 2310 can be included in the master device 2302, in theslave device 2304, or in a separate device, e.g., an intermediary devicebetween master device 2302 and slave device 2304. In someimplementations, the control system 2310 can be distributed amongmultiple of these devices. Control system 2310 receives control signalsC1 to Cx and generates actuation signals A1 to Ay, which are sent toslave device 2304. Control system 2310 can also receive sensor signalsB1 to By from the slave device 2304 that indicate positions, states,and/or changes of various slave components (e.g., manipulator armelements). Control system 2310 can include general components such as aprocessor 2312, memory 2314, and interface hardware 2316 and 2318 forcommunication with master device 2302 and slave device 2304,respectively. Processor 2312 can execute program code and control basicoperations of the system 2300, and can include one or more processors ofvarious types, including microprocessors, application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), and other electronic circuits. Memory 2314can store instructions for execution by the processor and can includeany suitable processor-readable storage medium, e.g., random accessmemory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), Electrical Erasable Read-onlyMemory (EEPROM), Flash memory, etc. Various other input and outputdevices can also be coupled to the control system 2310, e.g., display(s)2320 such as the viewer 213 of the master control workstation 102 and/ordisplay 124 of FIG. 2.

In this example, control system 2310 includes a mode control module2340, a controlling mode module 2350, and a non-controlling mode module2360. Other implementations can use other modules, e.g., a force outputcontrol module, sensor input signal module, etc. As used herein, theterm “module” can refer to a combination of hardware (e.g., a processorsuch as an integrated circuit or other circuitry) and software (e.g.,machine or processor executable instructions, commands, or code such asfirmware, programming, or object code). A combination of hardware andsoftware can include hardware only (i.e., a hardware element with nosoftware elements), software hosted by hardware (e.g., software that isstored at a memory and executed or interpreted by or at a processor), ora combination of hardware and software hosted at hardware. In someimplementations, the modules 2340, 2350, and 2360 can be implementedusing the processor 2312 and memory 2314, e.g., program instructionsstored in memory 2314 and/or other memory or storage devices connectedto control system 2310.

Mode control module 2340 can detect when a user initiates a controllingmode and a non-controlling mode of the system, e.g., by user selectionof controls, sensing a presence of a user at a master controlworkstation or master controller, sensing required manipulation of amaster controller, etc. The mode control module can set the controllingmode or a non-controlling mode of the control system 2310 based on oneor more control signals C1 to Cx. For example, mode control module 2340may activate controlling mode operation if user detection module 2330detects that a user is in proper position for use of the master controland that signals (e.g., one or more signals C1 to Cx) indicate the userhas contacted the master controller. The mode control module 2340 maydisable controlling mode if no user touch is detected on the mastercontroller and/or if a user is not in proper position for use of themaster controller. For example, the mode control module 2340 can informcontrol system 2310 or send information directly to controlling modemodule 2350 to prevent the controlling mode module 2350 from generatingactuation signals A1 to An that move slave device 2304.

In some implementations, controlling mode module 2350 may be used tocontrol a controlling mode of control system 2310. Controlling modemodule 2350 can receive control signals C1 to Cx and can generateactuation signals A1 to Ay that control actuators of the slave device2304 and cause it to follow the movement of master device 2302, e.g., sothat the movements of slave device 2304 correspond to a mapping of themovements of master device 2302. Controlling mode module 2350 can beimplemented using conventional techniques.

Controlling mode module 2350 can also be used to control forces on themaster controller of the master device 2302 as described herein, e.g.,forces output on one or more components of the master controller, e.g.,grip members, using one or more control signals D1 to Dx output toactuator(s) used to apply forces to the components. For example, one ormore of control signals D1 to Dx can be output to one or more actuatorsconfigured to output forces to the grip members of the master controlleras described herein, and output to one or more other actuators of themaster controller, e.g., actuators configured to output forces in arotary degree of freedom of the controller, actuators configured tooutput forces on arm links coupled to the master controller, etc. Insome examples, control signals D1 to Dx can be used to provide forcefeedback, gravity compensation, etc.

In some implementations, a non-controlling mode module 2360 may be usedto control a non-controlling mode of system 2300. In the non-controllingmode, movement in one or more degrees of freedom of master device 2302,or other manipulations of master device 2302, has no effect on themovement of one or more components of slave 2304. In some examples,non-controlling mode may be used when a portion of slave 2304, e.g., aslave arm assembly, is not being controlled by master 2302, but ratheris floating in space and may be manually moved. For non-controllingmode, non-controlling mode module 2360 may allow actuator systems in theslave 2304 to be freewheeling or may generate actuation signals A1 toAn, for example, to allow motors in an arm to support the expectedweight of the arm against gravity, where brakes in the arm are notengaged and permit manual movement of the arm. For example, in a medicalprocedure, non-controlling mode may allow a surgical side assistant toeasily manipulate and reposition an arm or other slave componentrelative to a patient or directly make some other clinically appropriateadjustment of the arm or slave component.

In some implementations, non-controlling mode can include one or moreother operating modes of the control system 2310. For example, anon-controlling mode can be a selection mode in which movement of themaster controller in one or more of its degrees of freedom and/orselection of controls of the master controller (e.g., buttons 440 ofFIG. 4) can control selection of displayed options, e.g., in a graphicaluser interface displayed by display 2320 and/or other display device. Aviewing mode can allow movement of the master controller to control adisplay provided from cameras, or movement of cameras, that may not beincluded in the slave device 2304. Control signals C1 to Cx can be usedby the non-controlling mode module 2360 to control such elements (e.g.,cursor, views, etc.) and control signals D1 to Dx can be determined bythe non-controlling mode module to cause output of forces on the mastercontroller during such non-controlling modes, e.g., to indicate to theuser interactions or events occurring during such modes.

Some implementations described herein, e.g., method 600, can beimplemented, at least in part, by computer program instructions or codewhich can be executed on a computer. For example, the code can beimplemented by one or more digital processors (e.g., microprocessors orother processing circuitry). Instructions can be stored on a computerprogram product including a non-transitory computer readable medium(e.g., storage medium), where the computer readable medium can include amagnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor storage mediumincluding semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, aremovable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-onlymemory (ROM), flash memory, a rigid magnetic disk, an optical disk, amemory card, a solid-state memory drive, etc. The media may be or beincluded in a server or other device connected to a network such as theInternet that provides for the downloading of data and executableinstructions. Alternatively, implementations can be in hardware (logicgates, etc.), or in a combination of hardware and software. Examplehardware can be programmable processors (e.g. Field-Programmable GateArray (FPGA), Complex Programmable Logic Device), general purposeprocessors, graphics processors, Application Specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), and the like.

Note that the functional blocks, operations, features, methods, devices,and systems described in the present disclosure may be integrated ordivided into different combinations of systems, devices, and functionalblocks as would be known to those skilled in the art.

Although the present implementations have been described in accordancewith the examples shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readilyrecognize that there can be variations to the implementations and thosevariations would be within the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one ofordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A controller comprising: a central member; a gripmember coupled to the central member and moveable in a grip degree offreedom; a shaft coupled to the grip member; and an actuator coupled tothe shaft and operative to output an actuator force on the shaft,wherein the actuator force causes a grip force to be applied via theshaft to the grip member in the grip degree of freedom.
 2. Thecontroller of claim 1 wherein the grip degree of freedom is a rotarydegree of freedom, and wherein the shaft is coupled to the grip membervia at least one rotary coupling such that the grip member is rotatablerelative to the shaft.
 3. The controller of claim 1 wherein the shaftextends through at least a portion of the central member.
 4. Thecontroller of claim 1 wherein the actuator is a linear actuator and theactuator force is an active force output to the shaft along alongitudinal axis of the shaft, and wherein the shaft is decoupled inrotation from the actuator about the longitudinal axis of the shaft. 5.The controller of claim 1 further comprising a transmission coupledbetween the actuator and the shaft, wherein the actuator is a rotaryactuator and the actuator force is a rotational force, wherein thetransmission comprises a mechanism configured to convert the rotationalforce to a linear force applied along a longitudinal axis of the shaft,and wherein the shaft is decoupled in rotation from the actuator.
 6. Thecontroller of claim 5 wherein the transmission includes one of: aballscrew mechanism; and a crank and a linkage, the crank coupled to theactuator, the linkage coupled between the crank and the shaft.
 7. Thecontroller of claim 5 wherein the transmission includes a capstan drumcoupled to the actuator and a carriage coupled to the shaft, wherein thecapstan drum is coupled to the carriage by a cable.
 8. The controller ofclaim 1 further comprising: a cam coupled between the grip member andthe shaft, wherein the shaft and the cam are rotated by the actuator tocause the grip force to be applied to the grip member based on anangular position of a portion of a surface of the cam.
 9. The controllerof claim 1 wherein the grip member is a first grip member and the gripdegree of freedom is a first grip degree of freedom, and furthercomprising: a second grip member coupled to the central member and tothe shaft, wherein the second grip member is moveable in a second gripdegree of freedom.
 10. The controller of claim 9 wherein the actuatorforce causes a first grip force to be applied via the shaft to the firstgrip member in the first grip degree of freedom and causes a second gripforce to be applied via the shaft to the second grip member in thesecond grip degree of freedom.
 11. The controller of claim 9 wherein thefirst and second grip members are coupled to the shaft by one or morelink members, and wherein the one or more link members are configured tocause the first and second grip members to simultaneously move in thefirst and second grip degrees of freedom, respectively, in directionstoward each other or away from each other.
 12. The controller of claim11 wherein the one or more link members include: a first link memberhaving a first rotary coupling between a first end of the first linkmember and the shaft and having a second rotary coupling between asecond end of the first link member and the first grip member, and asecond link member having a first rotary coupling between a first end ofthe second link member and the shaft and having a second rotary couplingbetween a second end of the second link member and the second gripmember.
 13. The controller of claim 12, wherein the first link memberand the second link member each rotate in a respective plane of twoparallel planes, wherein the first end of the first link member iscoupled to the shaft at a first location of the shaft that is spacedfarther from the first grip member than a second location of the shaft,and wherein the first end of the second link member is coupled to theshaft at the second location of the shaft that is spaced farther fromthe second grip member than the first location of the shaft.
 14. Thecontroller of claim 1 wherein the actuator is a first actuator, theshaft is a first shaft, the actuator force is a first actuator force,the grip force is a first grip force, and the grip degree of freedom isa first grip degree of freedom, the controller further comprising: asecond grip member coupled to the central member, wherein the secondgrip member is moveable in a second grip degree of freedom; a secondshaft coupled to the second grip member; and a second actuator coupledto the second shaft and operative to output a second actuator force tothe second shaft, wherein the second actuator force causes a second gripforce to be applied via the second shaft to the second grip member inthe second grip degree of freedom.
 15. The controller of claim 1 furthercomprising a spring coupled between one end of the shaft and the centralmember, wherein the spring is configured to compress in response to thegrip member moving in a first direction in the grip degree of freedomand decompress in response to the grip member moving in a seconddirection in the grip degree of freedom.
 16. The controller of claim 1wherein the grip member has an additional grip degree of freedom,wherein the additional grip degree of freedom includes rotation of thegrip member and the shaft about a longitudinal axis of the shaft, andwherein the actuator is a first actuator, the controller furthercomprising: a second actuator operative to output a second actuatorforce to cause the rotation of the grip member and the shaft in theadditional grip degree of freedom about the longitudinal axis of theshaft, wherein the rotation in the additional grip degree of freedom isdecoupled in rotation from the first actuator.
 17. A method comprising:sensing, with one or more sensors, one or more positions of one or moregrips of a controller in one or more respective degrees of freedom ofthe one or more grips, wherein the one or more positions are used tocontrol movement of an end effector of a slave device in communicationwith the controller; and applying force to the one or more grips usingone or more actuators coupled to the controller, wherein the force isapplied in the respective degrees of freedom of the one or more grips,and wherein the force is applied according to at least one force profileassociated with a type of the end effector controlled by the one or moregrips.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein at least one of the one ormore respective degrees of freedom of the one or more grips is a rotarydegree of freedom, and wherein applying force to the one or more gripsincludes controlling the one or more actuators coupled to a shaft thatis coupled to the one or more grips, wherein the one or more actuatorsare controlled to output an actuator force that causes a linear force tobe applied to the shaft along a longitudinal axis of the shaft.
 19. Themethod of claim 17 wherein the one or more grips are two grips providedin a pincher configuration, wherein the two grips move simultaneouslytoward each other or away from each other.
 20. The method of claim 17wherein the at least one force profile includes a plurality of differentforce output functions at different position ranges of the one or moregrips.
 21. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one force profileis selected from a plurality of force profiles associated with aplurality of types of end effectors usable with the slave device. 22.The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one force profile includes afirst linear force output function and a second linear force outputfunction that has a different slope than the first linear force outputfunction.
 23. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more grips aretwo grips, wherein the force profile includes a force output functionthat controls the force applied to at least one grip of the two grips tobias the at least one grip to a limited range of positions in the one ormore respective degrees of freedom, and wherein the limited range ofpositions is smaller than a full range of positions of the at least onegrip.
 24. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more grips are twogrips and the one or more respective degrees of freedom are tworespective degrees of freedom, and wherein the force profile includes aforce output function that controls the force applied to the two gripsto bias the two grips to a closed position of the two grips.
 25. Themethod of claim 17 further comprising activating a controlling mode thatenables controlling one or more actuators of the slave device tophysically move at least a portion of the slave device in correspondencewith physical manipulation of the one or more grips by a user in the oneor more respective degrees of freedom.
 26. The method of claim 25further comprising moving the one or more grips to respective positionsin the one or more respective degrees of freedom to match a position ofone or more controlled components of an end effector of the slavedevice.